▁caused ▁by ▁the ▁sexual ▁violence ▁perpet r ated ▁against ▁her . ▁ ▁Th emes ▁Sex ual ▁violence ▁and ▁its ▁manifest ation ▁in ▁the ▁sex ▁trade ▁becomes ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁central ▁them es ▁in ▁the ▁book . ▁Both ▁of ▁the ▁main ▁characters ▁lose ▁control ▁of ▁their ▁bodies ▁as ▁they ▁are ▁ab used . ▁Though ▁each ▁women ▁per se ver es ▁through ▁the ▁dis gra ce ▁and ▁p urg es ▁herself ▁of ▁this ▁dis gra ce ▁by ▁burning ▁their ▁clothes . ▁However , ▁sexual ▁violence ▁and ▁terror ▁recurs ▁when ▁T all inn ▁gets ▁a ▁sex ▁shop ▁that ▁is ▁staff ed ▁by ▁ex - K GB , ▁who ▁had ▁perpet u ated ▁the ▁violence ▁earlier ▁in ▁the ▁novel . ▁Ult imately , ▁O ks an en ▁successfully ▁capt ures ▁the ▁horror s ▁inf lic ted ▁upon ▁women ▁by ▁European ▁military ▁conflicts ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁expl oring ▁contemporary ▁sex ▁tra ff ick ing . ▁ ▁Res istance ▁also ▁per me ates ▁the ▁book , ▁especially ▁against ▁the ▁Russ ification ▁of ▁Est onia . ▁In ▁the ▁entries ▁in ▁Hans ' ▁di ary ▁and ▁other ▁parts ▁of ▁the ▁narr ative ▁the ▁anti - Russ ification ▁poet ▁Paul - E er ik ▁Rum mo ▁appear . ▁Also , ▁Z ara ' s ▁grand m other ▁continues ▁to ▁hold ▁on ▁to ▁native ▁Est onian ▁tongue , ▁resist ing ▁a ▁change ▁in ▁language . ▁ ▁The ▁complexity ▁of ▁family ▁history ▁and ▁the ▁un cover ing ▁of ▁tra ged y ▁in ▁that ▁history ▁is ▁fundamental ▁to ▁the ▁book . ▁However , ▁the ▁focus