▁is ▁increasing ly ▁upon ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁the ▁protagon ist , ▁sometimes ▁missing ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁more ▁hor r ifying ▁or ▁interesting ▁parts ▁of ▁Est onian ▁History . ▁Jacob ▁Silver man ▁in ▁The ▁New ▁Republic ▁points ▁out ▁that ▁this ▁perspective ▁on ▁history , ▁which ▁only ▁car ries ▁the ▁narr ative ▁up ▁to ▁ 1 9 9 2 , ▁offers ▁a ▁contemporary ▁perspective ▁on ▁the ▁issues ▁that ▁face ▁modern ▁Est onia ▁and ▁a ▁" window ... ▁of ▁understanding " ▁into ▁it ▁and ▁its ▁past . ▁ ▁Style ▁Pur ge ▁on ▁the ▁surface ▁level ▁is ▁very ▁ble ak , ▁while ▁it ▁expl ores ▁the ▁dark ▁events ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁occupation ▁of ▁Est onia . ▁A ▁review ▁in ▁the ▁W inn ip eg ▁Free ▁Press ▁pointed ▁out ▁that ▁O ks an en ▁did ▁" not ▁shr ink ▁from ▁dep ict ing ▁ra pe , ▁tort ure ▁or ▁murder ." ▁The ▁novel ▁is ▁also ▁very ▁real istic , ▁foc using ▁on ▁small ▁details ▁of ▁the ▁characters , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁present ing ▁very ▁close ▁visual ▁detail . ▁The ▁real ism ▁even ▁goes ▁so ▁far ▁as ▁to ▁dep ict ▁tender ▁moments , ▁so ▁that ▁these ▁hor r ific ▁historical ▁events ▁can ▁have ▁a ▁" human ▁face ". ▁By ▁doing ▁so , ▁O ks an en ▁creates ▁what ▁Jacob ▁Silver man ▁called ▁an ▁" em path ic ▁treatment ▁of ▁all ▁the ▁miser able ▁choices ▁Est oni ans ▁faced ▁during ▁their ▁periods ▁of ▁opp ression " ▁under ▁the ▁brut al ▁rule ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union . ▁ ▁The ▁story ▁has