Additional information
by Yelena Lembersky (Author)
2022 National Jewish Book Award Finalist in Autobiography & Memoir; 2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist; and a 2022 WNBA Great Group Reads Selection
"Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour is more ambitious than the average memoir. It's informed by Galina's and her parents' lessons on the value of art and culture and enriched by Alëeuml;na's beautifully constructed images and Galina's poetry." - Herb Randall, LA Review of Books
Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour traces Yelena Lembersky's childhood in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) in the 1970s and '80s. Her life is upended when her family decides to emigrate to America, but instead her mother is charged with a crime and unjustly incarcerated.
Told in the dual points of view, this memoir is a clear-eyed look at the reality of life in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, giving us an insider's perspective on the roots of contemporary Russia. It is also a coming-of-age story, heartfelt and funny, a testament to the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters, and the healing power of art.
Author Biography
Yelena Lembersky is an American author of two books, Felix Lembersky: Paintings and Drawings (2009), and Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour, co-authored with her mother, Galina. Yelena's writing has appeared in The Forward, World Literature Today, and Cardinal Points Literary Journal, and she was a repeated guest on National Public Radio. She grew up in Leningrad and immigrated to the USA in 1987. She holds degrees in art and architecture from MIT and the University of Michigan. She is a granddaughter of Felix Lembersky (1913-1970), prominent Jewish artist with roots in Ukraine, best known for his Babyn Yar canvases and non-figurative work that resisted Soviet propaganda.
