Oksana Zabuzhko

Your ad could go here is a somewhat confusing collection of short stories by the Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabushko (1960). Confusing, because there seems to be little more that binds these stories than that they were written by Zabushko and translated into English. This collection really cries out for an introduction from the compiler, with some explanation and background information. But all I can say about it now, based on the dates of the translations (which are mentioned, as opposed to the publication dates of the original stories) is that the oldest story dates from before 1998 and the newest from before 2020.

To be honest, there are a few more things that the stories have in common. For example, all stories have a woman as the main character, are set (predominantly) in Ukraine and they have a slightly ironic undertone. The female protagonists are certainly not spared. So much for the similarities. Yet there are also big differences. For example in writing style, which is sometimes very literary and sometimes quite accessible. Or in genre: there is a fairytale, a story that is becoming more and more surrealistic, while there is also a hyper-realistic politically oriented story. Just to name a few examples. And some of the stories are set in medieval Ukraine, others in Soviet times and others in the present.

In short, you could sya it is quite a varied collection of stories. As far as I'm concerned, that also applies to how I rate them There were stories that I reluctantly dragged through, and stories that I found almost unreadable, so difficult. While there were also stories that I would give 5 stars without a doubt. That makes it almost impossible to rate the collection as a whole. My rating doesn't do justice to some stories, but is too much credit for others. Still, I would - cautiously - recommend the collection to anyone who wants to learn more about life in Ukraine, especially from a woman's point of view. After all, there is not that much translated work by Ukrainian female writers, and Zabushko is a keen observer of human nature.… (altro)

Challenge worth completing

It was a slow book to get into, in the beginning I could not understand what is the structure of this book, how these stories come together, she rambles on and you lose what she was talking about initially, the chapters are very long and there are large parts in parentheses. In the audiobook it is hard to understand these transitions and stories within stories. Though, the actress reading the audiobook does an excellent job.

However, almost half-way through, I started to love it, somehow all the mosaic pieces start to fall into their places, it becomes easier to understand when she has rambled off and to remember which place we are still at. I have got more familiar with the main actors and have started to like them. The dream format almost makes it like a mystery/thriller...

But most of all I love the deep and sharp contemplation not only of the Ukrainian history and its present, but more widely of life, death, love - the big questions.

The highest praise for a book is that you can't stop thinking about it and this is this kind of a book.… (altro)