Travelogue and History Review: The Border

Title: The Border: A Journey Around Russia Through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, … Finland, Norway, and the Northeast Passage
Author: Erika Fatland, Kari Dickson
Source: Library
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:

I feel like I should have more substantive things to say about this than I do. However, my main takeaway from this book was how much I don’t know about the countries that border Russia! This book was compellingly readable, but also quite information dense. In terms of my enjoyment and how easily this read, it didn’t feel like a 600 page book. In terms of how much there was to learn, it felt even longer. Despite the incredible amount of info packed into this book, it was a lively travelogue that integrated history effortlessly.

There were several fun facts within just the first few pages that I immediately wanted to share. The author had some fascinating experiences (travelling by boat along the Northern border of Russia! visiting N. Korea!). She does a great job of describing places, people, and the quirks of both. I felt like I got a very personal view of every country she visited. This was true because of how she described her experiences and because of the conversations she had with locals. I also found the travel writing particularly relatable, since the author includes both things that went well and things that really didn’t.

The main hypothesis the author advances is simple and irrefutable – the countries that border Russia have all been significantly influenced by their larger neighbor. It also seems like countries near Russia are generally better off if they were less influenced by Russia. Causality could go either way though and that’s definitely not a claim the author makes. Learning about historical interactions between Russia and Ukraine was, of course, particularly interesting. The historical info about Russia annexing the Crimean peninsula and then Ukraine in the late 19th century certainly gave me a feeling of déjà vu. I definitely think I’ll best remember parts like the section on Ukraine that I’d already heard at least a little about in my previous reading.

Most of the other reviews I read of this book were primarily a content summary. That felt unusual to me in professional reviews. I wonder if other reviewers were as overwhelmed as I was by how much was happening in this book! There were two interesting reviews I’d like to point you to though. Eleanor at The Monthly Booking wrote a lovely, thoughtful review that captured the experience of reading this book perfectly. And the Wall Street Journal had an interesting take on the larger message of the book. I recommend checking out both of these reviews if this book sounds interesting to you.

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