The siege of Leningrad is always heavy. The suffering, the black market sale of everything, the dictatorship, and the heroic efforts of people to survive and help each other are all in this tale. Dark humor abounds, as does stark reality of people dying. Despite this, the book is a tale of how people become heroes and has a spark of hope that grows throughout the book.

The ending highlights the coldness of the Soviet government, the randomness of events that can turn a victory to ash, and vice versa.