Family

Family is an important theme in the novel “Panic in a Suitcase” by Yelena Akhtiorskaya. Family, thematically, involves the love, compassion, loyalty, encouragement, and support of and between individuals who may or may not be blood-related, but who act in accord with the traditional family unit. In “Panic in a Suitcase”, the family dealt with is the Nasmertov family, and family, thematically, proves to be an important, positive, and determining factor in the plot.

With the fall of the Soviet Union and the occurrence of cancer in Esther Nasmertov, the entire Nasmertov family, except Pasha, have relocated from Odessa, Ukraine, to Brighton Beach in the United States. There, Esther has access to wonderful healthcare, and the family, overall, has a better shot at a better future. The family – Esther, Robert, Levik, Marina, and Frida – all live together, and help one another in everything from simple chores...