VACLAV AND LENA by Haley Tanner (Dial Press, 2012) tells the story of two immigrants who meet as children. Vaclav wants nothing more than to be a magician and to have his childhood friend, Lena, as his assistant. Lena comes from a troubled home and must face obstacles from the nature of which Vaclav’s mother protects him. Early in the book, we, the readers, are also not privy to the circumstances of Lena’s life or those that led to the point at which she is wrenched from Vaclav’s life. We learn that Rasia, Vaclav’s mother, is somehow responsible and involved with Lena’s departure and do not learn the stories behind each character until much later in the tale. Like the magician’s hat that seems infinitely full of tied multi-colored scarves, we marvel when, at long last, all the scraps are removed and yet still a rabbit is drawn from the hat.
In Haley Tanner’s book, we find strong female characters, including a few surprises. Vaclav’s mother, Rasia, is at first almost a caricature of the stereotypical immigrant mother. Even when we’re allowed into her thoughts early in the book, her worries are formulaic. She wants to be more like American mothers, and yet is simultaneously disdainful of the children raised by American mothers. We see her care for her son, like any mother, but also withhold information in a way that seems cruel at first. Later, when more of Rasia’s heart and mind are revealed, we find a complex woman who grapples with her immigrant status, her lost hopes and with being a mother who wants to ensure opportunity for her son also while not forcing him to live her unrealized dreams. I have to admit that by the end of the story, Rasia was my favorite character.
Emily, who adopts Lena when she is taken from her aunt’s home, is another woman of great strength. As a single mother, she takes on the challenge of raising a girl with a troubled past and with language barriers that inhibit her opportunities and ability to assimilate. Emily steadfastly stands by Lena, helps her work toward acquiring language and shows her the rewards of success as the result of hard work. She provides a loving home and unwavering support. She gives Lena a place and space wherein she can work through her frustrations and grow into herself.
Another character, who is not revealed to be strong until much later in the story, is Lena’s aunt, Ekaterina. At first, Ekaterina is referred to as “the Aunt.” We rarely see her name. She is depicted as responsible entirely for Lena’s suffering. In Ekaterina, we find a perfect example of someone we cannot understand until we become aware of her circumstances. It’s that proverbial “until you’ve walked a mile in her shoes” kind of situation. We find Ekaterina a monster, and then we see that there is much more to the situation. After the story ends, we must consider Ekaterina a little longer before we pass judgment, and we might come to see her actions as exhibiting strength more like the main character in the THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO than a typical female hero.
VACLAV AND LENA is a great new edition to novels that depict strong women and female characters. Tanner demonstrates the great variety of ways in which women can be strong, as well. She also does not provide a pat description, but asks us to actually question how we define strength and what constitutes this attribute.
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