Vorkuta Gulag, Siberia

The majority of the novel is set in the Vorkuta Gulag located in Siberia. This prison camp was established after coal was found in the area, and the prisoners sentenced to hard labor must work in the mines. The camp resembles a small town with barracks of different shapes and sizes, and according to the historical chapter, there were thousands of prisoners; by 1946 “when Cilka arrived, Vorkutlag housed 62,700 inmates and was known as one of the largest and toughest camps in the entire Gulag system” (333). The guards were vastly outnumbered, and prisoners of high rank created part of the control system of the camp. Despite the disproportionate amount of guards to prisoners, few, if any, attempted escape. Though the fence was not electrified, beyond the fence existed “the barren, desolate terrain stretching as far as the horizon” (28). The panorama was “a vast unpopulated landscape of dirt...