A novel based on real events, about a Ukrainian World War II veteran with a secret that could land him in the Gulag, and his family who are forced to live in the shadow of all he has not told them.
Sharply observed ... A gratifyingly specific portrait of a Jewish Ukrainian whose plight reflects that of his native country ... Occasionally, Vasilyuk babies the reader ... Happily, this doesn’t happen too often.
While the author doesn’t shy away from naturalistic descriptions of violence and death, she doesn’t linger over horrors unnecessarily, either. Her tone is matter-of-fact and unflinching ... Through meticulous attention to specifics and empathetic, searching characterization, Vasilyuk achieves a sense of historical and emotional authenticity—thereby offering her readers a compelling exploration of both the distant past and more recent events.
Full of devastating pathos and elucidation of how war and, especially, fascist and communist mindsets destroy one’s humanity, this timely novel is a robust addition to the growing body of literature chronicling the Ukrainian experience.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
