Winterkill

 

Winterkill / Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
NY: Scholastic, c2022.
266 p.

The last book I've read this week focusing on Ukraine and the Holodomor is Winterkill by Marsha Skrypuch. She is a well known author of middle grade fiction, who has written on many Ukrainian topics, as well as on some other historical tragedies such as the Armenian genocide. She balances hard stories with a writing style that is aimed at the younger reader, sharing difficult facts in an accessible way. 

This book focuses on the Chorny family, living in Ukraine in early 1930. There are collectivization efforts going on all around them, aiming at having all successful farmers give their land to the state and work the fields for the state (and as it turns out, not being paid or fed for the pleasure). We meet Nyl, a 12 yr old boy with two younger siblings, Slavko and Yulia. As the story opens, he finds two Canadians in his mother's kitchen, inventorying the farm's possessions for the Party. These are people of Ukrainian descent from Canada who decided that the Soviet plan was utopia so left Canada to return to Ukraine and work for Stalin's regime. One of them is Comrade Alice, a girl of Nyl's age, whom he tries to talk to normally. This encounter has long term repercussions for Nyl. 

There are many harsh moments in this story; violence, murder, starvation, death, cruelty. And they are told clearly, but without gratuitous detail. Skrypuch is able to express historical fact with compelling storytelling, at the right level for this audience. Nyl's family breaks down throughout the book, starting with his uncle who is murdered by a Party official. His sister betrays the family, his parents both slowly perish, and he takes his younger brother with him when he escapes his village of Felivka, heading for the larger town of Kharkiv and the possibility of some work (and food) at the tractor factory being built there. 

In Kharkiv, they meet up with Comrade Alice again, by this time quite disillusioned and trying to find a way to get home to Canada, taking photographic evidence of the terror-famine with her. She and Nyl pair up to try to walk out of the famine region of Ukraine to Moscow where she could flee - Nyl just wanting to go far enough to outwalk the famine, which somehow magically limited itself to the areas where Ukrainian peasants lived. (spoiler: it was Stalin's plan to destroy Ukrainian lives and culture). 

This is a book that just has one awful thing happening after another, but it doesn't feel hopeless. There is hope and grit in both Nyl and Alice, and they make it out. But it's not a sugary ending. There are loose ends, no satisfying justice, just survival. Still, there is a sense that there is a future for Nyl. I found this book fascinating, an absorbing read that I couldn't put down. The element of finding Canadians in it was a shock to me - I hadn't known that Canadian citizens had left Canada during the hard years of the Depression, thinking that the idealized Soviet Union would be a better bet. Bad gamble there. Definitely an informative read, which I also found full of daily detail that anchored the story in its time and setting. 

And one other note, about this cover -- I think it's brilliant, with the girl on the cover mirroring the commemorative statue outside the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide in Kyiv. 

To find out more about this book, you can watch Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch's interview with HREC.

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. 

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. 

The Island of Books

 

The Island of Books / Dominique Fortier
trans. from the French by Rhonda Mullins
TO: Coach House, 2016, c2011.
176 p.

It's true that there is a right time for a book. I picked up this one a couple of years ago and just couldn't get into it. But then I picked it up again last weekend and spent the entire afternoon absorbed in it, start to finish. 

It's an unusual book -- partly fiction about a French portrait painter & Mont St. Michel in the 15th century, but interspersed with autobiographical chapters in the author's voice about her writer's block after becoming a mother. 

Although this may seem strange, the two are tied together both in tone and with the focus on words and the power of books & writing. In the author's case, reclaiming her role as a writer -- in the historical parts, about books, literacy, power in the era in which limited access to books created by scribes was being shaken by the arrival of the printing press. 

But there's also a love story. Our painter Eloi has lost his young lover but has no right to mourn for her since she was someone else's wife. In his despair he is rescued by his cousin Robert, who is an important member of the religious community at Mont St. Michel, and who brings Eloi there to recover. Their relationship is also based on their love for one another, and it is gentle and powerfully moving.

Although Eloi can't read, he's put to work using his artistic skills in the scriptorium to earn his keep. As he begins to understand how much books and learning mean to Robert and some of the other monks, his own view of life shifts. There are elements of philosophy, history, even gardening, in this story, which is pretty slow-paced and meandering in its plot. I found it thoughtful and full of ideas about all kinds of things, whether books, history or how to live life. If you are in the mood for a quiet book on a sunny Sunday afternoon you might also be as quickly drawn into this as I was.

The unusual structure might put some people off, but I suggest giving it a try. I felt that it worked well, and that both elements enriched one another. It was a satisfying reading experience, by a French Canadian author who has written other historical novels with the same reserved tone and deliberate pacing. If you like this feel to your books, you'll get along with this author in general.

The Stories Were Not Told

The Stories Were Not Told / Sandra Semchuk
Edmonton: UofA Press, c2018
312 p.

I was sent this book by the University of Alberta Press, as they know I have a special interest in Ukrainian Canadian topics. This particular book really hit home.

It's a collection of stories from people who were directly affected by the internment of Ukrainian Canadians in WWI. This is a story that many people still don't realize is a part of our history. But it is true; there were camps across Canada, many just for men, but also some (like in Spirit Lake, Quebec) that unjustly interned whole families as enemy aliens.  

They were as awful as you might imagine. The one I know most about is the Castle Mountain Internment Camp -- there is a statue there commemorating the highway between Banff and Lake Louise which was built by prison labour. This experience was novelized in Barbara Sapergia's excellent read, Blood & Salt. 

This book, though, is based in historical fact. It shares individual stories, which are so powerful. Semchuk has collected family stories, historical events, photos, and more, which all come together to both inform and touch the hearts of readers. Even if you aren't Ukrainian Canadian, this book about a neglected part of the Canadian past should interest history buffs, and really, I think, should be used in general education around the war years. 

As I was reading, I began to wonder how Canadians believe that we are so much nicer or gentler than other nations. Where has this self-serving stereotype come from? There are some pretty awful things in our past, and these camps are just one example that we seem to sweep under the rug and not talk about. 

I found the structure of this book well formed -- moving from individuals to larger stories about the camps, sharing lots of photographs not only of camps but of people, and their lives before & after internment. I even saw a photo that I recognized, of my hometown in Saskatchewan. (there were many, many internees in the West, where Ukrainians tended to settle).

And Semchuk's writing style is very effective as well. She lets the voice of storytellers shine through, but has arranged and contextualized the stories within the historical setting, adding a lot of understanding for readers. 

This is an excellent read, informative and balanced, full of necessary stories. I'm glad someone gathered these personal stories told by internees and their descendants, and has shared them in such a readable way. It makes a stronger impact to read about people directly than just the historical fact of camps, although that initial research and work was vital. Perhaps the connection comes from the fact that the author is an artist as well as a scholar, and expresses the heart of the stories in a meaningful way. 

I wouldn't say that this was a fun, quick, or entertaining read -- but it was absorbing and really fascinating to learn from. Definitely recommended to history buffs, other Ukrainian Canadians, or those interested in exploring the intergenerational effects of racism and prejudice in our wider past. 

The Literary Sewing Circle, 2019

It's that time again! Over on my other blog, the first Literary Sewing Circle of 2019 is happening. The group read this time around is The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan (who also happens to be pretty good with a sewing machine). 

As always, anyone interested in reading along and making something inspired by your reading is welcome to join in. There's already an intro post, inspiration post, and an author interview posted. If you want to read along, please do -- you can also discuss it via Goodreads if you prefer. 

And there are even some sponsor offers this year! Check it out, and you'll now know why I haven't had as much time to post book reviews here in the past couple of weeks ;)

Hospital Corridors, a Canadian Romance

Hospital Corridors / Mary Burchell
Richmond UK: Mills & Boon, 1976, c1958.
192 p.

A second Burchell that I've just finished is also up for a review -- but this time, not because of its social criticism and exploration of post-war values. No, this time it's because I was vastly entertained to discover that this book was set mostly in Montreal!

And I started to wonder if Burchell has been hired by the Canadian Tourism Board for this little travelogue ;) There is a lot of rhapsodic description of the setting, as Nurse Madeline arrives from England to Quebec City, then makes her way to Montréal, and encounters rich Anglo weekends in the Laurentians, country drives to small Quebec towns, a view clear across to the the USA on a clear day from the Lookout on the Mountain, and even a dinner at Ruby Foo's.

The descriptions are delightful, and I could pretty much identify the huge "Dominion Hospital" she works at as the Royal Victoria. And the hotel at which she meets her upper crust English suitor -- for dinner only! -- must be the Ritz Carlton.

The story is fairly predictable though the depiction of Madeline and her fellow young nurses is entertaining and lively. The plot: Madeline's half-sister Clarissa meets a Canadian doctor in their English setting in the mid-50s -- she tells Madeline and their mother Enid that she will likely marry him, so they should all start thinking about moving to Canada together. Madeline, a trained nurse, discovers that there is a training program available for English nurses to work a year in Montreal, so she applies. Then Clarissa throws over her doctor, but Madeline determines to go forward with her own adventure anyhow. And meets a mysterious, handsome doctor on the ship over, who of course turns out to be the one and only jilted almost-brother-in-law.

There are a lot more machinations in the plot to get Madeline and Doctor Nat Lanyon together. Madeleine has another admirer, the charismatic Morton Sanders, her sister's previous employer who hired her to accompany his neurotic mother to Canada aboard the ship, and is  now giving her a bit of a rush. Doctor Lanyon seems remarkably sanguine about Madeleine dating another man for most of the book. It's only when her sister and mother come over for a visit and Clarissa bats her eyes at him once more, never mind that she's now legally married to someone else, that jealousy reveals Madeleine's true feelings to herself, and then, of course, all ends well. As Madeline and Nat declare their love to one another, they also declare their love for the country. This is the ending of the book:

"Stop here for a while, Nat,"she said softly. "I want to look at my little bit of Canada."
He stopped immediately, humouring her, and together they looked out over the darkening city.
"It's beautiful," she said half to herself. "It's beautiful, and now it's my home."
"It's only one corner of your home, my darling," he assured her. "All the years and all the miles are there for us both. From ocean to ocean it will all be your home. Together we'll watch the sunrise in the Rockies, the water come swirling down Kicking Horse River, and the mists clearing from the Valley of the Ten Peaks. You haven't seen more than the smallest beginning of it yet."
"I know. It's so vast one can't quite imagine it even now." She smiled slowly. Then musingly she said, "Canada. They call it the land of the future, don't they?"
"They do. And perhaps they're right." He smiled too then. "At any rate, it's the land of our future."
Then he started the car once more, and they drove at their own pace back to the hospital, secure in the knowledge that tonight, not only Canada, but all the world was theirs.

After that Tourism Board Approved™ conclusion, all I could think of was this.I hope you enjoy!