Following the great response by the Finnish public to the documentary film Memories Denied, Imbi Paju had the opportunity to expand her creative energies into the literary world. The darker aspects of Soviet history had long been a taboo subject in the Western world, and she had the opportunity to bring these themes out into the open. The Finnish publishing house Like offered Paju the opportunity to explore the subject further, and with the help of interviews and archival material, produce a book that goes beyond what can be conveyed by an hour-long documentary.