Push Me Off The Cliff by Marina Osipova tells the story of two individuals’ who desire to fight the Germans and defend their homelands during World War II. We are introduced to Maria and Armen at different times and places in their lives, following them until they cross paths and their two stories become intertwined.

Straight away we start with the use of a reflection to convey Maria’s appearance to the reader, providing very descriptive attributions in dialogue. The writing is unusual, requiring some adjustment before I was fully immersed into the story.

The story itself is very enjoyable. Osipova employs vivid imagery throughout the story, and in some cases uses this to illustrate the horrors of war in great detail. Author Marina Osipova is a great storyteller and I remained captivated throughout this riveting historical fiction novel.

We switch back and forth between Maria and Armen’s perspectives, though Armen’s seems more dominant and more developed. Osipova worked to give the reader a great deal of pity and sympathy for Armen, creating a deeper reader bond with his character. Both characters boast a rich backstory that adds to the depth of their characters and helps the reader more easily relate to them and their struggles. Most endearing is the gradual build up to the understanding they come to share between one another; it isn’t instant or easy for them and it makes their eventual bond that much stronger seeing the journeys they have both taken from the beginning of the book until the end.

I enjoyed the foreign perspective to the war and getting a glimpse of what life in Russia and the surrounding areas were like. As an American, this is perhaps a less often explored side of World War history and presenting it in fictional form makes the subject matter entertaining, exotic, and slightly less weighty than it was in reality.

Push Me Off The Cliff conveys an engaging and emotional story, particularly in the second half of the book, that kept me hooked and invested in the lives of enchanting characters that are colored by the horrors of war. Their impassioned journey and personal evolution is well worth the read.

Pages: 284 | ASIN: B08ZLXLJXJ