Rattlebone

Rattlebone / Maxine Clair 
McNally Editions, 2022, c1994.
208 p.

I don't remember who first mentioned this one to me, but I'm really glad someone did. It's a collection of linked short stories that follow Irene Wilson, a young girl growing up in the segregated 50s in Rattlebone, a small Black town near Kansas City. 

We learn about many families in Rattlebone, and all the ways they are connected, through Irene's perspective. She feels that there is something going wrong with her parents' marriage, and she's right; she's also right in her vague sense that her glamorous new teacher might have something to do with it. 

She shares the sorrows of her neighbour, around her age, who has a special needs older brother, and she explores forbidden friendships/romance with a couple of schoolmates who belong to a local religious sect. There is a visceral story of a flood, and one of an accident in their high school. They are coming-of-age moments for Irene, each important in her life. 

The book starts with Irene at 8, with flash moments at 13, 15, and finishing as she graduates high school. It explores all the elements of growing up with segregation, including one story in which she isn't allowed to compete at a regional oratory contest even though she's won her school's prize, solely because she is black. It tracks the incursions of white people into Rattlebone, usually because they want something. And it shows how Rattlebone is a small place in the end, with everyone knowing everything about one another. 

While it's a set of connected stories, it does read like a novel, with cohesion and closure at the end. It's compelling reading, with passion and heartbreak, love and loyalty and family - all the things of life. Really worth searching out if you haven't read this one yet. 

 

Roman Fever, and other stories

Roman Fever & Other Stories / Edith Wharton
Collier Books, 1993, c1934.
304 p.

I enjoyed slowly reading through this collection of some of Wharton's best short stories -- well, 8 of them anyhow! I picked it up because I wanted to read Xingu, a story of snobby book club ladies of the 1910s who are bamboozled by one of their members. So funny! It really delivered. 

And then I just kept reading the other stories, bit by bit. The contents are: 

Roman fever (1934)

Xingu (1911)

The other two (1904)

Souls belated (1899)

The angel at the grave (1901)

The last asset (1904)

After Holbein (1928)

Autres temps (1911)

This gives a range of her writing both in theme and in date, with the stories ranging from 1899 to 1934. The title story is a masterpiece, so good and so unexpected. Each of the stories is memorable, but I especially liked The Angel at the Grave and After Holbein as well. Wharton writes without flowery flourishes, for the most part, but she is so good at description. The places and situations she evokes are clear. 

As with most of her novels, she is looking at the wealthy classes in her stories and skewering pretensions, although not in a mean spirited way. In fact there is quite a bit of compassion in some of these stories, you feel for the poor deluded souls who seem to be out of step with their times. 

She touches on divorce, relationships, mother/daughter issues, and the change between generations. The older characters can't seem to understand the freedom of the younger ones, as so many of the societal 'rules' they carefully learned have now gone by the wayside. Those changes are elements of many of these stories. 

Well worth exploring, and best I think to take some time to think about each one before starting the next or they might blend together a bit. Great collection, of just a handful of her many, many stories. 

 

Alibi For A Corpse

Alibi for a Corpse / Elizabeth Lemarchand
Sapere Books, 2018, c1969.
217 p.

This is the third Pollard and Toye novel I've read, and it's 3rd in the series. It starts in a peaceful countryside, a retreat for a family with two young children. That peace is broken when the two children find a skeleton in the boot of a car in a nearby scrapyard. 

There are men without a past living in remote houses, snooping ladies in the town who watch out their windows at all times and may have seen Something, a local witch/herbalist (depends who's asking), blustering farmers, and of course the precocious children. Who can shed light on who the skeleton might have been - a local? a rambler? Who has seen something they may not have known was important? That's the tangle that Pollard & Toye are called in to investigate in this story. 

It's a bit convoluted, with dead ends and red herrings abounding. And Pollard using the children as lookouts is a bit iffy! However, the setting was great; I could feel both the quiet and the undercurrents of the small town & its unusual inhabitants. 

Once again Pollard spends a lot of time going over the facts of the case in detail for the reader to follow, just in case you missed it the first time. These parts are a bit dull and feel like outlining stuck in for page count. And once again, Toye works his charm and gets fed everywhere he goes, making people relaxed enough with him to give away things without realizing.  

It was good, although I did like the first two more -- it was funny that I started this book at the same time as another one (not a mystery) that opened in a similar way. The setting is a strong element of this story, and I really enjoyed that part. But I think I've had enough Pollard & Toye for a while, even if there are 17 books in this series! She is a serviceable writer with some interesting concepts but she doesn't reach the heights of a Christie or a Wentworth. 

Death of an Old Girl

Death of an Old Girl / Elizabeth Lemarchand
London: Sapere Books, 2018, c1967.
281 p.

This is the first book in the Pollard & Toye series, although I have not read these in order. I started with a random discovery of book 2 (The Affacombe Affair), then looked up what else was in my online library. I really enjoyed this first one. 

It's set in at the Meldon Girls School, a setting I always find interesting. Specifically, it takes place during the weekend long Meldon Girls School’s annual festival and Old Girls reunion. This means there are current students as well as many former ones ("Old Girls") on the grounds the entire weekend, and a lot going on to distract from regular routine. 

Beatrice Baynes is an Old Girl, but she hasn't gone far. She lives nearby and is a busybody who tries to influence the school to going back to running the way it did in her time -- very old fashioned ways, of course. It's funny that it was written in the 60s, feels like it was set still earlier, and yet the complaints of "young people these days" and their lack of educational mettle are still the same kind of things we hear today! 

In any case, Beatrice has annoyed a lot of people, from school administrators, to her inheritance-waiting nephew, to other Old Girls and locals alike. She's interfering and controlling and someone has had enough -- Beatrice is murdered and hidden away in a puppet theatre, to be found much later. It's an undignified way to go and she would have hated that. 

The local police aren't used to quite so grotesque events so Pollard and Toye from Scotland Yard make their appearance. They investigate nearly everyone, from obvious to just potential suspects. Here's where I find Lemarchand's mystery writing falls down a bit. Pollard and Toye are methodical, almost too much so. They go off together after every scene to write down and talk over the case, and the reader must hear it all. It's plodding and a bit dull, and feels unimaginative. It also kind of kills the momentum, and I found this technique in all 3 of the novels in this series that I've read. 

Nonetheless, the conclusion and the truth revealed is rather exciting, and very unexpected. It has a bit of glamour and also melodrama, and makes for a fine finish. I liked this one the best of the three so far, maybe because of the setting, and all the intriguing women you find because of it. I'm not sure I'll make a huge effort to find more of her books though. 

Crocodile on the Sandbank

Crocodile on the Sandbank / Elizabeth Peters 
Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio, 2077, c1975.
Narrated by Susan O'Malley

This is a classic, and it's another reread for me! I thought I'd surely written about this before now but it turns out I haven't. I recently listened to the audiobook and still enjoy this first volume of the lengthy and popular Amelia Peabody series. 

I think it's the best of the series, introducing us to Amelia Peabody, a bluestocking who inherits her father's estate (to her brothers' chagrin) and decides to travel to all the places she's always read about. She heads out to Europe, and in Italy rescues Evelyn, a delicate fellow Englishwoman who she discovers in a faint in a public place. 

Nobody can override Amelia when she makes a decision, and she chooses to engage this unknown woman as her companion for the rest of her travels, specifically on the next leg out to Egypt. And her befriending of Evelyn brings all sorts of complications and intrigue to their trip. Egypt also brings a meeting with the Emerson brothers, archeologists Walter and Radcliffe, who mirror Evelyn and Amelia and the story wraps up neatly with all of their various relationships, ready for the series to continue. 

This was written in 1975 so there are a few parts that wouldn't perhaps be included today. But it's set during the late Victorian period, 1890s, so the English/French/Arabic mix of Egyptology is definitely reflective of the history. Peters is a scholar of Egypt so those elements, of archeological detail, mummies, daily life, landscape etc are all thoroughly described and realistic. 

The storyline, the romance, the banter and the rest are more reminiscent of adventure novels of that late Victorian era. It's quite bonkers, really fun and the romantic elements are sweet at times and hilarious at others. I love Amelia's bullheaded nature that hides a warmer heart, and have enjoyed these Egypt set novels for a long time. There are a ton of books in this series but I find I reread the first five most often, and think those five could stand alone as a sufficient series. This one is a classic. 

 

Everyone On This Train is a Suspect

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect / Benjamin Stevenson
New York : Mariner Books, ©2023
320 p.

The second book in the Ernest Cunningham series, this follows the same basic outline as the first one: it's a locked room mystery, with a murder and multiple suspects. Stevenson is once again playing with Golden Age mystery tropes in a modern way, and I thought it was clever and very amusing too. 

Just like the first book, this one has Ernest talking to the reader and apparently writing the book as we are reading it. He throws out tons of references to mystery writing norms, the events of the past book (on the strength of which he has been invited as a speaker on this crime writing train festival), and, gentle reader, also to Goodreads. It was hilarious and snarky and I laughed at it a lot. 

As the story begins, Ernest and his girlfriend Julia (the ski resort owner from the last book) are boarding a train for a crime writing festival being held aboard, featuring 6 writers. Unfortunately for them, the keynote speaker shortly bites it, and they are all suspects. But they are also all crime writers who should be expected to know how to get away with murder. 

Ernest digs up dark secrets from everyone's pasts, suspects the wrong people, makes blunders, gets into a car chase across the outback, once again nearly dies, and finds out that he might not have the Main Character energy that he thinks he does. 

So many threads in this one, so many potential unravellings, but it ends with one I didn't see coming. Mystery readers who love black humour, and a narrator who is breaking all sorts of narrative rules while reflecting on the mystery genre itself, plus unusual and entertaining Australian settings, are strongly suggested to give this series a go. Lots of fun with tangled clues to try to figure out before Ernest does. 

Murder Road

Murder Road / Simone St James
New York : Berkley, ©2024
342 p.

Now for some contemporary mystery reading! I enjoy Simone St. James and will always pick up her books. This is the latest one, and it reflects her shift toward true crime inspired fiction that has informed her last couple of books. 

Set in 1995, it features a young couple, April and Eddie, who have just somehow gotten married and are heading for a country inn for their honeymoon. But it's late, and they miss a turn, and then they are suddenly on a dark and lonely stretch of highway where they pick up a hitchhiker who turns out to be bleeding heavily. They rush her to the nearest hospital, but she dies, and April and Eddie can't leave town - they are now the main suspects. 

This feels nostalgic, like it should even be set in 1985, with that tinge of Stranger Things vibe going on. April and Eddie are staying at a b&b with a no-nonsense policeman's widow who gives things to them straight. They also meet two odd sisters, high school students who are obsessed with true crime and give them the lowdown on the pattern of murders along that highway over the years and the many theories as to the killer's identity. 

But it's darker than everyone thinks, and there is a reason that April and Eddie have ended up there. Supernatural chills, mystery, library research, young love, and small towns combine into a book I really enjoyed. I found it chilling and spooky, but also liked the other parts of the book - the characters, the way this small town was described, and the final reveal. Great chilling summer reading for crime fans.


 

The Silver Bone

The Silver Bone / Andrey Kurkov;
trans. from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk
NY: HarperVia, c2024.
288 p.

This is the first in a projected mystery series by well known Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov. It features Samson Kolechko, a young man whose father is murdered in the street by soldiers during a time of unrest, and in the attack Samson loses an ear (which plays a role in the story later on).

It's set in 1919 Kyiv, when WWI had ended but Ukraine was a battleground of multiple factions vying for control. There are Red Army soldiers, insurgents, police and others all trying to rule. It's basically chaos. Two Red Army soldiers barge in and commandeer rooms in Samson's apartment -- it's quite large, as it had been their family home but his parents and sister are all dead now. In this way, Samson overhears some sketchy plans, reports them, gets drafted into the police force, meets a woman, solves a mystery involving a specially tailored suit and a silver bone, and sets the reader up for a series with more to come. 

I liked it; it is definitely recognizeable as Kurkov's writing, and it gives a vivid picture of a chaotic point in history. However, there were some choices that I was a little uncomfortable with, as when the characters refer to ongoing violence as the actions of "Petliura's men". I found mentioning only the Ukrainian faction a bit strange.

As for the story itself, Samson is an interesting character, a bit passive with a lot of the action just happening to him, but he does make an effort to consciously act, eventually. There is a bit of a fantastical element as well, as with some of Kurkov's other works -- in this, Samson's severed ear (which he keeps in a box) magically enables him to eavesdrop on anyone near it. This comes in handy at this point in history, especially once he begins working for the police. I also liked the parts involving the tailor and the unusual suit; the suit itself gives Samson a big clue as to who he is looking for. However, I thought the storyline was a bit farfetched and has no strong payoff in the end, but perhaps the series will improve. I'll read the next one when it's published, and then see if I will go on with it.

 

Absolute Zero

Absolute Zero / Artem Chekh
trans. from the Ukrainian by Oksana Lutsyshyna & Olena Jennings
London: Glagoslav, 2020, c2017.
154 p.

This collection of short reflections on Chekh's time in the Ukrainian armed forces is hard to categorize. It's reportage, personal essays, but he is a writer who can capture images and experiences with beautifully composed language, even talking about war, boredom, nationalism, identity and dislocation. The tone of the book is personal but with a kind of distance as he watches what is going on around him and tries to capture it while it is ongoing - he states directly that he has to write it down before it disappears. 

The book is made up of short chapters, each looking at a specific moment or a specific topic. It's based on his diary that he kept while serving during the war in Donbas. There is no discussion of actual combat or violence, rather he focuses on the little moments of his days -- mice in the trenches, going to buy food at the nearby town when off duty, having volunteers bring unnecessary things to the soldiers, seeing the effects of war of his colleagues, even meeting up with his wife during some time off and how strange it felt. He has an eye for the poignant moment, and somehow creates emotion with calm language. It's reserved writing but all the more memorable for it. He captures the feeling of being a soldier, and the day to day banality of wartime. 

I thought this was compelling reading, interesting for the factual elements but readable because of his style and technique, making each day's entry a complete story. Very interesting book and one I'd recommend. 

Voices of Freedom

 

Voices of Freedom: Contemporary Writing from Ukraine
ed. by Kateryna Kazimirova & Daryna Anastasieva
Winston-Salem, NC: 8th & Atlas Publishing, c2022.
314 p.

This is another collection of varied writing from Ukraine, published 6 months after the invasion of the country, raising money for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. It was a joint effort between 8th & Atlas Publishing and Ukraine based Craft Magazine, and highlights some of the best Ukrainian writing of the past 50 years.

It contains excerpts from 27 writers, with a slight majority of male writers represented. The pieces are essays, poems, and short stories, and as the publisher puts it, "this collection demonstrates that the desire for freedom and the struggle to achieve it is a theme that cuts across generations of Ukrainian writers, and is a central preoccupation of Ukrainian society."

I think that the collection meets this goal quite effectively. No matter whether a writer is talking about an earlier Revolution or conflict, or directly referencing the current war, the words are illuminating, powerful, and full of current meaning. I appreciated that there was a small bio of each writer prior to their work, giving some info on them and context as to their place in Ukrainian literature. There was also info given on each translator, which was another nice element, as these translators are doing a huge job sharing work into other languages - there are many names I've seen elsewhere with other newly translated work. 

There is a wide range of voices here, showing off different styles, topics and literary schools. It's a great way to become more familiar not only with new young writers but some of the older ones who've been writing throughout past years of Soviet rule and the struggles of a newly independent country. It includes some of my favourites, like Oksana Zabuzhko and Lyuba Yakimchuk, as well as some names I hadn't read before. 

Another fabulous collection to look out for if you are interested in expanding your knowledge of the writers working in Ukraine now. Their many perspectives on the past and present will also expand your understanding of the reasons behind and effects of the current war.

You can get a taste of the book by watching the book trailer, which includes 4 of the poems from the book, on YouTube: 

Words for War

Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine /
ed. by Oksana Maksymschuk & Max Rosochinsky
Cambridge, MA: Ukrainian Research Institue, Harvard U., c2017.
240 p.

This is a collection of poetry by 16 varied Ukrainian authors, with a nice mix of women and men represented. There are modernists, more traditional writers, new and young ones alongside more established names. It's a great collection. You can view Words for War and read pretty much all of it online; the site has much the same cool design feel of the book too. 

There is a comprehensive intro and afterword, as well as author and translator bios in the back. There are also notes on the places and events mentioned in the poems which North American readers might not be familiar with. This certainly adds to the understanding of the poems, and was appreciated. 

This was published in 2017, so it has many poems written shortly after the hybrid war started in 2014 when Russia invaded the east of Ukraine (the Donbas area) and annexed Crimea. Everything was clear then and yet it took a lot more for the world to pay attention. These poems are beautiful, harrowing, ironic, sad, blunt, angry, powerful, and much more. Anyone interested in the literature of Ukraine needs to become familiar with the poets, they are a strong element of the writing that shapes the culture. This is a good way to become familiar with a lot of names in a short time, and get a feel for those that resonate with you. For example, after reading Lyuba Yakimchuk's work in this collection, I requested her full collection Apricots of Donbas from my library system. Collections like this one a great way to expand outward. 

This book is also very nicely produced. The font is clear and readable and the image of each author at the beginning of their section is a artistically altered photo -- it's very appealing. I found it really well done and a must read for anyone new to Ukrainian poetry. 
 

Red Harvest

Red Harvest / Michael Cherkas
New York : NBM Graphic Novels, ©2023
145 p.

This graphic novel is a vital introduction to the Holodomor for those who don't know anything about it. It's told by Mykola Kovalenko, an elderly man in Canada, the only known survivor of his family, who is looking at a family photo and finally telling his story to his own children and grandchildren. 

The Holodomor (Death by Hunger) happened in 1932-33 in Ukraine, when Stalin's policies of forced large-scale collectivization of individual farms and farmers across Ukraine led to mass starvation, deportations and murder. It weakened Ukraine, a prosperous and productive farming society, making it impossible to stand against Soviet invasion and land theft. There were millions dead in horrific ways, and is a generational trauma. 

This graphic novel presents the truth of this in a way that makes it comprehensible and not too overwhelming for the reader. There are representatives of each position in this story; a son-in-law who is a Bolshevik idealist despite the realities of what their ideals actually meant, punitive government officials, innocent children (Mykola's siblings, who all die from some element of the situation), rich farmers, traitors, and those who still found kindness within themselves despite conditions. 

It's powerful and disturbing. The artwork is simple, monotone colours and sketchy lines. The author & artist talked about his thought process coming to the decision on how to render the story, and that the stark lines were the most truthful way he could share this book. It does have an impact and I think it reflects the content well, supporting it, and not distracting from the facts. Cherkas is a Canadian of Ukrainian heritage, and has spent his whole life in the graphic design/art/cartoon field, and his skill really made this book something special. 

This is an important book to read if you are wondering about the past relationship between Ukraine and Russia and why Ukraine is so adamant about its sovereignty. It gives some context to a centuries old conflict. But it's not very pleasant reading; history is not always easy. 

If you're interested in learning more, True North Country Comics interviewed Cherkas on their podcast in 2023, and you can listen to it here. 

Ghosts in a Photograph

 

Ghosts in a Photograph / Myrna Kostash
Edmonton: NeWest Press, c2022.
304 p.

Myrna Kostash has written many books exploring both her Ukrainian heritage and wider issues of travel, identity, and immigration. This latest one looks at her own family history, starting with some family mementos, and tracing back the stories of her recent ancestors as best as she could. But it's not just about her own family, it's about wider patterns of immigration, Ukrainian history, the unsolved murder of a Ukrainian ancestor, the interaction of Ukrainian settlers and the Indigenous peoples who were on the Alberta lands they settled, and more. 

The writing is orderly but compelling. It begins by looking at each one of her grandparents separately - they had immigrated from Galicia (Ukraine) and started the Kostash family legacy. It's an interesting setup, as one half of her family were homesteaders and farmers, what you'd think of as the 'typical' Ukrainian immigran experience, but the other half were urban working-class socialists, who had settled in Edmonton. She is able to discuss many elements of the Ukrainian Canadian community, from newspapers and organizations to traditions and expectations, through this perspective. 

There is also a fair bit about her travels to Ukraine to meet with some of her distant cousins and relatives from the home village, many of whom she had barely known about. It's here that she hears family stories from previous generations, of her grandparents' siblings and parents, including that uncle who had disappeared in one of the many wars that have affected Ukraine. All of this was informative, and a fascinating personal story that feels more universal. 

The last chapter discusses the displacement of the Indigenous peoples which resulted from her family's immigration (and the much wider flood of immigration in those early years). She has written a couple of books on Indigenous history/themes, and this concern shows in this chapter as well. This chapter doesn't have the same feeling of personal resonance as the rest of the book, but it is a vital element to acknowledge and discuss. 

This is an important book from a prolific recorder of Ukrainian Canadian social history, and I'm glad to have read it. 

This book was also the winner of this year's Kobzar Book Award. Check out all the nominees and past winners for lots of fabulous Ukrainian Canadian reading. 

Blossoming of a Ukrainian Canadian: Savella Stechishin

Blossoming of a Ukrainian Canadian: Savella Stechishin
by Natalie Ostryzniuk
Bloomington, IN: Trafford, c2009.
236 p.

I decided to read this biography, fortunately available through interlibrary loan, as part of my Ukrainian Canadian reading. Savella Stechishin Savella Stechishin is best known for her comprehensive cookbook Traditional Ukrainian Cookery (now very hard to find at a reasonable price!) But she was active in a lot of other areas as well, and this bio, written as a master's thesis, covers much of her life and work in Saskatchewan. 

As she was such a big part of the Ukrainian Canadian community, particularly in Saskatchewan, I was hoping I might find some mention of some of my relatives or people I knew in this. No such luck! Not a peep. That could be because she was solidly planted in the Ukrainian Orthodox tradition, and none of my family was religious at all. Nonetheless, this book was fascinating; her life was unusual and so busy. She immigrated to Canada at age 9 with her family, in 1913. And she was the first woman to graduate from the University of Saskatchewan, with a degree in home economics. She wanted to make life easier for women, so spent a lot of time travelling around the province teaching women better domestic skills to improve their lot. This is while she was married herself, with 3 children. Her husband Julian was rector of the Petro Mohyla Institute in Saskatoon, and a writer himself, but also did his share of childcare and more while she was working. 

She founded the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada in 1926, and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada in 1936. Both are still running, nationwide. She travelled to women's conferences across the country, in the US and in Ukraine, meeting some of her more famous contemporaries. But she always stayed committed to the work she was doing in Saskatchewan. Savella Stechishin had a lot more to her than I'd known before reading this book - I'm so glad someone wrote about her while she was still around to interview. My degree was in Canadian History, but no mention of people like her back then. I'm happy to rectify that by reading history like this now. 

Food Was Her Country

Food Was Her Country / Marusya Bociurkiw
Qualicum Beach, BC: Caitlin Press, c2018.
176 p.

I read Bociurkiw's first memoir, Comfort Food for Breakups, a decade ago, and have intended to read this one ever since! But I think I read it at the right time, as I found this so powerful and engrossing when I picked it up a few weeks ago. 

Her essay in Unbound, which I recently reviewed, has a lot of crossover with this book -- some of the same material. If I hadn't read them coincidentally at the same time, I might not have realized! But it's wonderful writing so I didn't mind at all. 

Her writing is smooth and engaging, even as she talks about parents aging, family estrangement, issues of identity and sexuality, and difficult memories. She also talks about building new relationships both with her family and with chosen family, lots about food of course (she is an amazing food writer), and lots of fascinating background on being Ukrainian Canadian. She grew up in Western Canada but has lived in Toronto for a long time, so there is also that element that shapes her relationships.

There is a lot to take in here. There are many life events she shares, often using food as a connecting link. The main thread in this memoir is her relationship with her mother, and her mother's past -- both as a Ukrainian and as her specific role in their family. She and her mother communicate with food, and the writing here does not strain the metaphor at all, but makes it so beautiful. Bociurkiw's voice is gentle, honest, and grounded. You can tell she knows herself and is centred, even while ranging over her past.  

If you are interested in thoughtful, poetic examinations of family, or food, or the second or third generation immigrant experience, you will also love this. I was very taken with this one and would reread it in a flash. Very impressive style and substance, too. 

Unbound

 

Unbound: Ukrainian Canadians Writing Home 
ed. by Lisa Grekul & Lindy Ledohowski
TO: UofT Press, c2016.
168 p.

This month I'll be sharing many of the Ukrainian themed reads I've been examining over the last little while. I'm starting with some books written by the Ukrainian diaspora. This one is a collection of essays about being Ukrainian, and feeling (or not feeling) the connection with the ancestral past, by Canadian women writers. 

The authors included are: 

• Janice Kulyk Keefer
• Elizabeth Bachinsky
• Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
• Marusya Bociurkiw
• Erín Moure
• Daria Salamon
• Myrna Kostash

Each of these shares their experiences investigating their Ukrainian heritage and identity, in their own ways. And this list of authors is a great way to explore further writing by each, so that you may end up with a good handful of both novels and nonfiction to explore. I've read other work by most of these authors, and so was really interested to see what they'd say in this context. 

I found this collection pretty strong, with a lot of fascinating food for thought. I felt very close to the way Janice Kulyk Keefer wrote about growing up with Ukrainian family members, and the sense of lacking essential "Ukrainian-ness" herself, because she didn't speak the language. I found each of the essays had something to ponder, although I was most caught by Kulyk Keefer, Skrypuch and Bociurkiw's writing. I've read quite a bit by each of these authors so perhaps that's why they resonated with me so much. I've also just finished one of Bociurkiw's memoirs, and found similar passages in this book (I'll be sharing that one shortly). 

This is an academic book, so I was fortunate to find it via my library - it's not widely available. I enjoyed it and wondered while I was reading what these authors might have to say now, after Ukraine has seen so much more world awareness over the past two years of war and invasion. I know it's changed my own sense of relationship to my Ukrainian ancestors and identity.  

Very worth reading this one, I recommend it to anyone interested in the Ukrainian Canadian experience, but also the experience of being third or fourth generation immigrants of any kind. It gave me a lot to think over.