CANDLES FOR THE DEFIANT

Retired consultant Gallagher’s memoir explores her family history on her mother’s side, focusing on experiences in Estonia during World War II.

The author traces Estonia’s political and social struggles, which led to the country's annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940 and later occupation by German troops in 1941; it was then taken over by the Soviets again at war’s end. The focus of the memoir then turns to Gallagher’s relative, attorney Bruno Kull, who became a spy for Estonia and a fighter for his country’s independence, which made him an enemy of the Soviets, the Germans, and his own neighbors, the latter of whom were unsure of his allegiance. It becomes the story of an unlikely hero who gave his life for his beliefs. Gallagher holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside, and a doctorate in sociology from Brown University, which puts her in a unique space to tell a story of historical significance that’s also a deeply personal remembrance. In many ways, the memoir itself is a documentation of occupation, examining the ways that one’s home becomes a profound part of one’s identity. The result is an exceedingly well-researched work, allowing for glimpses into everyday life in Estonia as well as its sociopolitical climate. Gallagher’s immediate family managed to escape the country during the war, but their history and attachment to their home remained strongly in their collective memory—exile allowed them to survive, but they left a part of themselves behind. Loss is a common theme in the memoir, both in terms of the physical and the emotional.

A remembrance that effectively explores how fortitude and a sense of home shape people’s lives.