Vaclav & Lena [Paperback]

I am told that this is Tanner's first book. Well I'm sure we won't have to wait long to see another. This is one very talented author. I thought at first glance that this book was going to be juvenile in nature but, not so. The story will capture you, break your heart and then fill it back up again. Bravo Ms.Tanner!

Affecting, poignant, unforgettable all describe Haley Tanner's wonderful debut novel VACLAV & LENA. One would be hard-pressed to think of anyone who would not be touched by her story, especially when read by two such talented actors as Kirby Heyborne and Rebecca Lowman.

A gifted and versatile performer Heyborne has received acclaim for not only his acting but his music (four solo albums) and his comedy. Lowman brings a wealth of stage, film and television experience to her narration. An inimitable pairing for this narration! Listen as they introduce us to Vaclav and Lena who first meet as children when they're enrolled in an English as a Second Language class in Brooklyn. Both are six-year-old Russian immigrants.

Drawn to one another they begin to play a game. He is to be a magician; she will be his assistant. Every day after school they practice their act; they grow closer and make promises. For instance, when they perform on the boardwalk at Coney Island they'll be billed as Vaclav the Magnificent and his assistant, the Lovely Lena. Another vow is that they will be together forever.

Vaclav's mother, Rasia, is sympathetic toward Lena who has no family but lives in an apartment with an aunt. Rasia walks Lena home every night after supper and is aware of the messy shabbiness of Lena's apartment as well as the unsavory way her aunt makes a living.

One day Lena does not show up for class. Rasia is stunned with what she finds when she goes to look for her and cannot bring herself to tell the frantic Vaclav the truth. Time passes until Vaclav is 17 and his phone rings - it is Lena. Yes, they are together again yet in Tanner's gifted hands there is more to come.

VACLAV & LENA is a love story that reminds us of the strength and redemptive power of love.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

Vaclav & Lena is the debut novel of Haley Tanner. And I must admit, it's probably one I wouldn't have noticed without a recommendation. So, Jess - thanks - because I really, really enjoyed it!

Vaclav & Lena is set in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Both characters are Russian émigrés - children 10 and 9 years old. Vaclav has a fair grasp of the English language but is keen to master it. His mother Rasia is loving and kind, determined to make a better life for her son. Lena's life is much different - she has no support at the place she calls home, often has nothing to eat, does poorly in school and tries to blend into the woodwork in an effort to hide. Rasia does her best to mother her as well.

Vaclav and Lena share a love of magic and dream of the day when Vaclav will be a famous magician and Lena will be his stunning assistant. When Lena disappears from his life under never discussed circumstances, Vaclav is heartbroken. Until the day seven years later when their paths cross again....

Vaclav is such an earnest, eager, spirited child. He sees the positive in everything around him. He dreams of the future. The barriers placed in his way do not stop him or deter him. This character touched me so much and literally brought tears to my eyes.

"Rasia looks at Vaclav, holding these dollar bills, smiling his goofy smile. Most people do not really mean their smiles, most of the time. For most people, their smiles are a lie, a trick, or a promise. Vaclav's smile is just a smile, and he always means it."
Two years ago I worked in a very small library. Every day we were open, a young boy, his sister, mother and baby brother came in after school. They were recent immigrants from an Eastern bloc country. The oldest boy had attended school in his home country, his language carried an accent and mangled syntax, he was awkward socially, but tried so hard to fit in. It broke my heart to see him rebuffed by the other children. I can only imagine what his mother felt. She and her husband had chosen to seek a better life for their children.

Rasia's love for Vaclav...

"As she watched him walk out into the big American crowd, under the big American roller coaster, she felt the world spinning wildly away from her, and she sat and cried because she was happy and sad that he did not look back, because of how much she loved his little body, and his awkward, cowlicky head and that tiny rib cage, and the way that he knew, already, to take a girl's hand if she was afraid."
Tanner has perfectly captured what I observed. The dialogue, feelings, emotions, situations and settings all evoke and capture the experience of a new citizen from a child's and parent's view.

But there is much more to the story - it is a tale of tenacity, love and hope. Vaclav & Lena is a rich, poignant narrative that will capture you from first page to last. Loved it! I look forward to reading what Tanner writes next.