nastya ’s Reviews > Endling > Status Update
nastya
is on page 4 of 347
What the hell am I doing reading a new release after vowing “never again,” you ask? Apparently risking a very bad time. You’re reading this book because it’s written by a Canadian with Ukrainian roots, about a country that’s in the news. I’m reading it as a Westerner writing for other Westerners about a current hot topic. We are not the same.
p.s. I am on page 4, and it already feels fishy.
— Aug 11, 2025 10:10AM
p.s. I am on page 4, and it already feels fishy.
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nastya ’s Previous Updates
nastya
is on page 328 of 347
Or, another way to end it: each missile shot from Russia would stop midair, spin around, pummel into its exact point of origin.
reva stole this dream from me how dare she! it helps me to fall asleep often.
— Aug 21, 2025 12:09PM
reva stole this dream from me how dare she! it helps me to fall asleep often.
nastya
is on page 302 of 347
She told him about her deal with his granddaughter, the cold math of the agreement to exchange the remaining foreigners plus him, the grandfather, for her lost mother.
“You just made that up,” he said. Nastia blinked. “I didn’t.”
“Sounds a lot like the novel my granddaughter’s been trying to cobble together. She mailed me a draft, fed through one of those internet translation machines.
— Aug 21, 2025 11:44AM
“You just made that up,” he said. Nastia blinked. “I didn’t.”
“Sounds a lot like the novel my granddaughter’s been trying to cobble together. She mailed me a draft, fed through one of those internet translation machines.
nastya
is on page 278 of 347
“And how do you propose the enemy should look, young man? A swastika flag in one hand, a Mein Kampf in the other? The enemy is more subtle now. Hides in plain sight. Inside every Ukrainian.”
what an amateur! personal icon of bandera and sims 3!
— Aug 21, 2025 09:48AM
what an amateur! personal icon of bandera and sims 3!
nastya
is on page 197 of 347
In the first year of the war, when I felt guilty for crying (I’m not the one being bombed!) and then guilty for not crying (Think of those being bombed!), I wondered, uselessly, who had a proper claim to grief. I knew expats who mourned dutifully, refusing social engagements, their faces ashen as if U fallen. I also knew friends back in Ukraine who were hiding in basements and still hadn’t stopped cracking jokes.
— Aug 21, 2025 08:16AM
nastya
is on page 115 of 347
Sometimes I wonder if she and I are going insane, living two realities at once—the explosions peppering phone calls from Ukraine alongside the dinner parties in Vancouver with laughing, smiling friends in wrinkle-free fabrics who don’t mention the war.
— Aug 20, 2025 05:05PM
nastya
is on page 84 of 347
the moment we left Ukraine and got to Canada and diaspora life, the book instantly improved! almost as if the author has deep connection to the subject and is much more engaging! at least it became readable to me! A few quotes:
— Aug 18, 2025 10:09PM
nastya
is on page 30 of 347
I know it's a bit too early but I am not feeling this one. I don't like the writing, nothing feels recognizable, and I have no desire to keep reading. I am not the audience, but I wish Maria all the best on this award circuit. Don't feel like this book will survive past this booker.
— Aug 17, 2025 11:16AM
nastya
is on page 30 of 347
“When the bachelors heard the name Anastasia, they thought about Russian royalty—about the Duchesse who’d vanished by the time the White Army reached her family, having either been murdered or escaped. A Disney movie about her…”
so true, esp disney
“And most important, while being exotic and enigmatic, the name was still easy to pronounce.”
eh…? it’s not a-nuh-stay-zhuh after all
— Aug 14, 2025 01:11PM
so true, esp disney
“And most important, while being exotic and enigmatic, the name was still easy to pronounce.”
eh…? it’s not a-nuh-stay-zhuh after all
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Roman Clodia
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rated it 4 stars
Aug 11, 2025 11:10AM
I've been wondering about this and would love your verdict first. Apart from the perspective, the whimsy of snails combined with the invasion has made me a bit wary.
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Roman Clodia wrote: "I've been wondering about this and would love your verdict first. Apart from the perspective, the whimsy of snails combined with the invasion has made me a bit wary."I'm so honored! She is talking about her RV and I never in my life saw an Rv on the roads. It's sounds like an insanely expensive thing, and the very rich who can afford it would never go on them around the country. It feels very north american to me!
That was my reservation about it, Nast’. There are so many book in Ukrainian not written for the western gaze, so I thought it would be a waste of time reading a book by a person from the west written in English for the western audience. I am not saying she shouldn’t do it. It might be a valuable perspective for that western audience. But I am not particularly interested. That is if you would not tell me she does something absolutely groundbreaking there apart from bringing the snails in.
Katia wrote: "That was my reservation about it, Nast’. There are so many book in Ukrainian not written for the western gaze, so I thought it would be a waste of time reading a book by a person from the west writ..."I know what you mean, Kat'! So much is published in Ukraine by Ukrainians, but I guess it's hard to find those and translate them. I just recently saw this book: The Sunflower Boys and you can guess from the title where it takes place. A lot of westeners think the yellow on our flag is a field of sunflowers btw :) This time it was written by a writer with vague connections to Ukraine, at least Reva was born there, she says proudly on her site she is sanctioned by moscovia, and her sister sounds very invested in the country. But yeah, Ukraine suddenly became visible, the vacuum was created in the literary world and now it's filled with western voices with some connection to the country. I think there will be more. All while harvard's ukrainian publishing that tried to translate something that is not about this war is closing down because of the lack of funding.
But then on the other hand maybe there's something good in this also? Every book I encounter written not even long ago never even mentions Ukrainians even when the book takes place on its lands! I just recently was reading Dunnett and the action took place in 1400s in Crimea and I assume what are steppes of Ukraine and everyone non-tatar was a russian. Even though there was not even russia back then. So I guess there's something positive? But yeah, i don't know.
btw Percival Everett blurbed this and it is shelved in absurdist fiction on amazon so I have no idea what to expect!
I think it is broadly positive. And as you said she is pretty invested and was born there. She also knows better what style a western audience would find more palatable etc. But for me personally with the access to natural 🇺🇦 voices from Ukraine, I’d rather prioritise those. Also I want to read Amelina’s book that exists only in English and has won Orwell prize. But I am happy that Reva brought up a story to such a broadly read prize. The more exposure the better I think. If you like it I might try it:-)
Thanks both, I appreciate your nuanced comments on this - looking forward to your verdict, Nastya!
I also have my doubts about this for some of these reasons, both the "Western Ukraine gaze" and the snails. As a Canadian who is currently somewhat nonplussed both by the mass waves of Canadian nationalism (even though they're understandable) and the sometimes disturbing elements of the Ukranian-Canadian community--historically, our government has built up right wing elements among Ukrainian immigrants to Canada, and our former finance minister is a particularly off-putting character...I'm not overly thrilled when people say it also has parallels to Canadian history.
there were certainly a few waves of Ukrainian immigration to Canada and I can only think of one of them that had particularly questionable right wing people. others I would assume were religious people from west of ukraine running away from soviets, anti soviet people, and reva’s wave- can’t find her date of birth but her sister’s is 1985 and they are from kherson, so they were part of the wave running away from the ruins and poverty of Ukraine in the 90s I assume, But I don’t know anything about Canada, so no idea what parallels they are talking about. So far there’s nothing recognizably Ukrainian, it can take place anywhere.
Katia wrote: "That was my reservation about it, Nast’. There are so many book in Ukrainian not written for the western gaze, so I thought it would be a waste of time reading a book by a person from the west writ..."Yes, so much this! I'm sure it's a good book in that it accomplishes the goals it sets to accomplish; I'm sure it's a net positive for Ukrainian representation, and therefore I feel like I should hype it up; but I also feel like I (a Ukrainian in Ukraine) am very much not the target audience here, and that's perfectly okay
