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.