I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A soviet woman searches for an Armenian man as both face the events haunting them from their past to find solace once more in author Marina Osipova’s “Push Me Off the Cliff.”

The Synopsis

March of 1948. Three years have passed since the Great Patriotic War ended in victory, disposing into the streets of the destroyed and hungry cities and villages brave decorated soldiers: thousands of them having been burned, maimed, or disfigured beyond recognition.

On a crowded commuter train, Maria hears an invalid singing, which painfully connects her to her time at the front and to the love that failed to happen to her. Why, then, since that day, does the voice from the past echo so insistently in her present life? The torture of uncertainty—was it really Armen?—intensifies after the next encounter and leaves her with an unsettling compulsion to do . . . what? Help him? Or, rather, rescue herself from her lonely and unassuming existence her heart subtly rejects? She must decide whether she is willing to let go of the life she knows for feelings she had never thought she could experience.

But, first, she has to find him.

As the genocide of 1915 within the Ottoman Empire destroyed the lives of Armen’s parents and about one-and-a-half-million ethnic Armenians, his future is shattered by this other war and betrayal. Incapacitated and totally alone, it seems the most merciful thing for him would be to end his miserable existence by leaping off a cliff. Otherwise, he must find the courage to continue living in the condition the war left him and find his place in the bitter every-day reality full of difficulties prone to men like him.

Maria and Armen. Each carries private wounds. In the face of despair, will fate offer them a chance to heal their souls and hearts?

The Review

Wow, what an incredible novel. I am always amazed by the level of research and detail the author pours into the historical fiction novels that she writes, and this one was no different. The honesty with which the author crafts these strong character-driven narratives was inviting to readers who wanted to delve deeply into this historical fiction read. The visceral imagery in the author’s writing style captured the notes of horror that war brings, as well as the notes of hope underlying those horrific moments. 

The central theme of how war and genocide impact the human mind and spirit was on full display in this narrative. The protagonists in this story were both heavily emotional and compelling in their own right, and not only their connection to one another but their emotional experiences, especially Armen and his life with his mother growing up and the impact the Armenian Genocide had on him, not only kept readers invested in this story but educated over the details of these moments in time as well.

The Verdict

Heartfelt, compelling, and enthralling, author Marina Osipova’s “Push Me Off The Cliff” is a must-read historical fiction. The twists and turns in the narrative, the emotional connection readers felt with these characters, and the shared experiences and mutual respect that the two protagonists share elevate their journeys, making this a remarkable character-driven narrative to get lost in. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

Marina Osipova was born in East Germany into a military family and grew up in Russia, where she graduated from the Moscow State Institute of History and Archives. When she was five, she decided she wanted to speak German and, years later, she earned a diploma as a German language translator from the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Languages. In Russia, she worked first in a scientific-technical institute as a translator, then in a Government Ministry in the office of international relations, later for some Austrian firms. For many years, she lived in New York, working in a law firm, and then in Austria for several years. In the spring of 2022, after spending ten months in Russia, some unfortunate world events brought her back to the United States.

A long-standing member of the Historical Novel Society, she is dedicated to writing historical fiction, especially related to WWII. Her books garnered numerous literary awards, including a 1st Place WINNER of the 2021 Hemingway Book Awards novel competition for 20th Century Wartime Fiction (a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards). At some point or another, all her books hit the Amazon Top 100 lists in Historical Russian Fiction and Historical German Fiction and How Dare the Birds Sing even #1 or #2 in War Fiction in Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Her readers praise her books for “emotional realism,” for “taking on a subject that few authors have touched,” for “writing with heart and compassion while not holding back from hard cold realities of war,” for “giving an authentic and in-depth look at a culture that tends to baffle westerners.”

To learn more about Marina Osipova and her captivating books, visit her website at marina-osipova.com.

You can find her also on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marina.osipova.14/

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-osipova-65b81418/