Not Historical Fiction

STILL ALIVE, the final installment of Marsha Skrypuch’s trilogy, KIDNAPPED FROM UKRAINE, is another page turner.  Told from the points of view of twin sisters, Dariia and Rada, we get to imagine being 12 in a modern war in a contemporary setting. I've been to Ukraine. It's a beautiful country filled with history and loving people who want to live in peace like you and I.

This third in the series is a satisfying conclusion to a real-world war that shows no sign of abating. While all three of these books show plenty of heroism in spite of tragedy … I can’t help but wonder how children in Ukraine evolve as the war grinds on and their childhoods become lost … swallowed up by violence, uncertainty and sadness. 

Whether these Ukrainian children are being kidnapped in physical form to be brainwashed as future Russia citizens, migrants to a foreign country like Canada, or stuck in their war-ravaged country building drones and camouflage nets … children like Dariia and Rada have lost their innocence in brutal ways. 

Skrypuch created memorable stories in spite of the challenges of an ever-changing dynamic. This war is far from over. Her gut-wrenching fiction is no longer 'historical'  ... the war continues. Sadly, Marsha Skrypuch will never run out of material for her powerful and memorable depictions of children caught in the vices of war.   

A Novel about Self Discovery

I really liked this book by Anna Rosner and gave it a five star review on Goodreads. The theme, about self-empowerment, told with a first-person narrator, reminded me of what I explored in Waltraut, albeit through the eyes of an immigrant.  Coming-of-age perspectives are rife with opportunity for self-discovery.

In the first half, I wasn’t sure where this book was going but the writer’s voice was strong and compelling, so I trusted Aviva, the almost-twelve-year-old narrator. She kept me turning the pages. 

What was this book about? Was it the trauma of her faltering friendship with Maddy that would form the spine of the novel?  Was it about Maddy’s volatile father and the subsequent marriage breakdown? Was it about Maddy’s perfectionism with her musical goals? Was it about family shame because of an autism diagnosis for Aviva’s little brother? Was it about Aviva’s father’s lack of connection with her and the family? Was it about the unreasonable guilt of genetics? Was it a story about poetry which Aviva loves to read and write?  And so I kept reading, from chapter to chapter.

Turns out that it was about all of the above, but mostly, it was a story about Aviva. It’s not just a story about Maddy’s broken family or about Ethan’s autism diagnosis. It’s not just about not fitting in at school or being uncool. 

It’s a story about Aviva and her relationship with herself and her world.  It’s a story about accepting others the way they are … but mostly, it’s a story about accepting ourselves the way we are. Beautifully told with nuance and emotional depth that left me searching for tissue while I pondered ‘the end’.