The Memory Keeper of Kyiv: The most powerful, important historical novel of 2022

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Ukraine, 1930. Sixteen year old Katya has a lot to look forward to in life. She is part of a happy family and has a childhood sweetheart Pavlo right next door. But when Stalin’s activists come to their village and demand that everyone join the initiative of collective farming, the future suddenly doesn’t look so bright. Some survived, most did not. This is a story of a family that would have lived during those times and how they might have survived. It is also a story of Katya after the Homodor and how she dealt with the aftermath and survivor's guilt. A story of her daughter and granddaughter and how on her death bed she finally found peace. Katya broke the law again and again to get food for her family, even after Alina’s death. Did she make the right choice? Why do you think Alina sacrificed herself and took the blame for Katya’s theft? After her husband’s death, Cassie felt she had lost her ability to write. Birdie stopped talking. Have you – or has someone close to you – ever felt that words have failed you after a trauma?

Erin Litteken’s passion for Ukrainian culture and history is evident through this sensitive, impactful tribute to a little-known, deeply important time. Heart wrenching and heart warming, The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is a story of unwavering courage and unyielding hope.” This story alternates between 1929/early thirties and 2004. The earlier time frame chronicles the experiences of Katya during the Holodomor in Ukrainia, while the latter introduces her in later years with her daughter, grand daughter, Cassie, and great granddaughter, Birdie.The characters in the 1930 timeline are well-carved and gutsy. Each of them creates an impact for various reasons. Of the 2004 characters, Birdie was the sweetest. It is a sour soup, although I didn’t find it all too sour. The beets in the soup turn the soup a bright red and create its unique flavor. As Ukrainian citizens continue to fight for their country’s sovereignty, they’ve gained admirers all over the world. The Memory Keeper of Kyiv reminds us that Ukrainians have been fighting these battles for over a century. I enlisted my family to help me recreate some of the family recipes we hadn’t made in a while. It was really special to get everyone together, prepare the food my great-grandmother used to make for us, and teach my children those traditions. The Memory Keeper of Kyiv Book Club Questions: Seventy years later, a young widow discovers her grandmother's journal, one that will reveal the long-buried secrets of her family's haunted past.

I strongly encourage you to read this book about Ukraine as a book club. As you know, history repeats itself and the parallels of the historical events in the novel to current events is harrowing. In 1929, Katya is 16 years old, surrounded by family and in love with the boy next door. When Stalin’s activists arrive in her village, it’s just a few, a little pressure to join the collective. But soon neighbours disappear, those who speak out are never seen again and every new day is uncertain. The Holodomor (literally death by hunger) was another horrific time in the history of Ukrainia. It was a time of famine, terror, deportation, and death. The famine was manmade by Stalin and the Soviets as they stripped the country of its food. As the author said “everyone wants Ukraine’s fertile soil for their own, and nobody wants to let Ukrainians rule it.” In the author’s notes, Litteken reports that 1 in 8 Ukrainians died during this time and the country lost almost 13% of its population. And yet, the famine/terror was denied by the Soviets and even by western journalists for years.

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Memory Keeper of Kyiv”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Das Buch erzählt innerhalb von zwei Zeitsträngen zum einen die Geschichte von Katja, um 1929 die in einem Dorf in Kiew aufwächst. Nachdem die Dorfbewohner gedrängt werden Stalins Kollektiv beizutreten verändert sich so viel für die Menschen und das greift die Autorin hier auf und veranschaulicht aus vielen verschiedenen Perspektiven und innerhalb verschiedenen Problematiken, was das alles mit sich bringt und wie es sich eben auf die Familien, auf das Erwachsenwerden auswirkt. Katya and Kolya ate many atypical things to survive, all of which were based on survivors’ accounts. Which stood out to you the most? Wisconsin, 2004. Ever since Cassie’s husband died in a road accident 14 months ago, her five year old daughter Birdie and she have been struggling to let go of their grief. When Grandma Bobby begins suffering from memory issues, Cassie’s mom decides that it would be best for Cassie and Birdie to shift into Bobby’s house for a mutual support. Here, Cassie discovers a journal written in Ukrainian, which seems to contain some secrets of the past.

collectief roept een afschuwelijke hongersnood over het land af. Buren verdwijnen, voedsel wordt schaars en verzet wordt betaald. Toch lonkt er zelfs in de donkerste tijden liefde voor Katya. The story alternated chapter wise between 1930s Ukraine and present day in 2004 and was well written as a dual timeline, and really brought readers into the historical setting of the time and made me understand and feel what they were going through very well. Erin Litteken timely debut novel "The Memory Keeper of Kyiv" does just that by telling, in dual time frames, the story of 16 year old Katya and her survival of the Great Famine starting in 1930 and her granddaughter, Cassie, gradually learning her "Bobby's" history she had kept hidden. I read this novel in one day because Katya's story is an example of indomitable spirit, courage and love in the face of unimaginable horror. Cassie's story's weaker but was a relief as she has also known loss that is put in perspective as she learns the hidden history of her grandmother. A compelling story that kept my attention (and caused some tears) right until the end. As noted, you can make the broth ahead of time. If you do, I recommend skimming the broth of fat so that your soup isn’t too greasy.As the granddaughter of a Ukrainian refugee from WW2, the poignancy of this war devastates me. While we can’t change history, we can all learn from it and do something to help the Ukrainian people today. I’m so pleased that my publisher, Boldwood Books, is donating a share of the proceeds of this novel to DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of that effort. The characters in The Memory Keeper of Kyiv are complex and authentic. They deal with their various emotional traumas in different ways but survive. Katya is particularly endearing because the onset of dementia releases long-suppressed memories of the Holodomor. Like Shari J. Ryan, Erin Litteken neither dwells on the atrocities or sensationalizes them, but describes them matter-of-factly. Insgesamt war das Buch für mich aber eine lesenswerte Geschichte, die gerade in diesen Zeiten aufzeigt, was Krieg bedeutet und wie sehr Menschen in solch grausamen schweren Zeiten leiden. Some people managed to escape into her village, and they told stories about whole villages in eastern and central Ukraine being wiped out. People were deported by cattle cars to Siberia, like we read about in your Bobby’s journal, or forced to starve in their own homes after Stalin exported all of the food. Children were left at train stations by their parents in hopes someone would take pity on them and bring them home and feed them, but they rarely did. People died in the streets waiting for a crust of bread. 71% of my Kindle reading