The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall

Furnivall's first book, The Russian Concubine, was fantastic. And, I wasn't disappointed by her second book. In 1933, Sofia struggles to survive her ordeal in Siberia's Davinsky labor camp. She lives because she has a long term goal of freedom and a short term goal to keep the spirit of her frail friend Anna going. She knows that Anna depends on her to maintain a fading flicker of hope. When Anna becomes ill, Sophia must seek help, which means escaping the camp. She escapes in hopes of finding Anna's childhood love, Vasily, a revolutionary allegedly living in Tivil. Sofia meets factory director Mikhail, whom she thinks is Vasily in disguise. As she falls in love with Mikhail, she doesn't want to act on her feelings because he belongs to Anna.
This a deep character driven novel looking at two courageous women, a brave man, and the labor camp that is so vividly described it sends you to bed with horrific visuals. The characters become exactly how I imagine people would have been at a time when your neighbor, who you have known all your life, could very well be the person to sign your death warrant. The romance in this novel takes a back seat, though it is well written and enhances the overall plot. Furnivall concentrates on the historical aspect that focuses on the horrors of the Siberian death camps.