The Sarabande of Sara's Band

 

The Sarabande of Sara's Band / Larysa Denysenko
trans. from the Ukrainian by Michael M. Naydan & Svitlana Bednazh
London: Glagoslav, 2012, c2008.
224 p.

This is a novel that I meant to read last year, but have only now just finished. It's a fast-paced and funny story of journalist Pavlo Dudnyk and his interactions with the large and rambunctious Jewish Ukrainian family of his second wife, Sara Polonsky. 

Pavlo married Sara, his former school friend, when they came across each other later in life and she immediately recognized him by his school nickname, Underbutt. This gives a bit of an idea of the way she doesn't take life too seriously, and neither do her family members. Sara works for a travel agency and for most of the book is absent on a trip to Mexico for work -- but in the meantime, her uncle, nephew, their dog and eventually also Sara's ex-husband (now a priest) end up bunking at Pavlo's apartment. 

The nephew is a precocious smart alec who also plays the piano constantly. The Uncle takes over Pavlo's office, the boy takes over his bedroom, and Pavlo sleeps on a couch in the kitchen with the dog. There is rapid wordplay, requiring the reader to pay attention to realize who's talking, and to whom. There are amusing interactions with a variety of Pavlo's friends, family and all of Sara's relatives who he is getting to know better, very quickly. 

There is also a fair bit of bawdy humour, some of which was a little rich for me, but as a whole I found this a fast read, and one that was pretty entertaining. It draws a picture of life in Kyiv before the latest war, with people living as best they could despite divorces, economic woes, job issues, and family estrangement. 

There are tones of more serious themes; Pavlo's relationship with his own parents and the conclusion reveal the more emotional depths, and highlights how humour and sarcasm in the story are often used to deflect from those feelings. I thought this was an unusual read, with a bit of a different look at Ukrainian life and families, very readable with funny bits and interesting characters. I'm glad I came across this one.