I Was Anastasia: A Novel

In the novel’s Prologue, Anna says that telling her story will require her to unwind “all the twisted coils” of her memory (1). This image posits memory as a tangled entity, and the gaps and leaps in Anna’s narrative suggest a selective process: She is choosing which formative experiences to relay, prioritizing not only factual important but also emotionally resonant moments. Unlike Anastasia’s chapters, which describe her exile and execution in a more conventional linear narrative, Anna’s portion of the novel foregrounds the idea that memory—even when not fabricated—is a narrative construct, shaped and ordered to produce meaning.

This theme is most explicitly illustrated by Anna’s impersonation of Anastasia, which requires her to adopt another person’s memories. When she views the clip of the Romanov family, Anna claims she was part of that celebration; she also tells Xenia Leeds and Dmitri Leuchtenberg that she remembers the royal tradition of the Opening of Navigation. Simultaneously, Anna suppresses memories that Franziska Schanzkowska would have. She insists she has no children and keeps her body hidden so others do not see the stretch marks from her pregnancy, which would contradict her claim. Likewise, she pretends not to recognize Felix or the other Schanzkowska siblings.