Download The Memory Keeper Of Kyiv [PDF] By Erin Litteken

The Memory Keeper Of Kyiv book pdf download for free or read online, also The Memory Keeper Of Kyiv pdf was written by Erin Litteken.

Erin Litteken is a debut novelist with a history degree and a passion for research. From a young age she was fascinated by the harrowing stories of her family in Ukraine before, during and after World War II.

She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Historical Novel Society, and lives outside of St. Louis with her husband, two children, and a some random assortment of pets. When he is not writing, he enjoys reading a good book and spending time with his family.

The Memory Keeper Of Kyiv Book PDF download for free

In year 1929 Katya is 16 years old, surrounded by the family and in love with the boy next door. When Stalin’s activists arrive in his village, they are few in number, a small push to join the collective. But soon the neighbors disappear, the speakers never see each other again, and each new day is uncertain.

Resistance comes at a price, and as desperate hunger grips the land, survival seems more a dream than a possibility. But even in the darkest moments, love calls.

Seventy years later, a young widow discovers her grandmother’s diary, which will reveal the long-buried secrets of her family’s troubled past.

This is a story about the resilience of the human spirit, the love that accompanies us in our darkest hours, and the true horror of what happened during the Holodomor.

The Memory Keeper Of Kyiv Book Pdf Download

First, let me say that I feel privileged to be able to read this book by an author of Ukrainian descent at a time when news from Ukraine is definitely some of the dominant news of our time. Growing up in Canada, I was taught very little about Ukraine in our school system, so I was on a learning quest. Although this book is fictional, it is inspired by real events that transpired in today’s “Holodomor” or “Starvation” and appears to have been very well researched.

The novel is told in a double timeline: the reader meets Cassie in 2004 in the USA and Katya in 1929 in Ukraine. A year after losing her husband in a horrific car accident, Cassie is still grieving and her daughter has stopped talking. When her mother learns that Cassie’s “Bobby” (grandmother) has health issues and could benefit from Cassie’s presence, she reluctantly packs her bags and moves in with her grandmother. Will this give him a chance to let go of his pain and move on with life?

Will her grandmother’s memory fade, will Cassie know her story before it’s too late? What terrible things happened in “Bobby’s” life that he never got to share with his family? Who is Nick, the neighbor who speaks Ukrainian so comfortably and always seems to be on hand when help is needed?

In year 1929, Katya is a girl with a newfound love for a childhood playmate and hopes for a happy future. Things quickly take a turn for the worse when Russian activists arrive and virtually force local farmers to cede their land to the “collective”. Woe to those who dare speak against them or to those who are considered “elite”. They will be the first to leave.

Families will be decimated and food will be a luxury for the few, even if baskets of grain are allowed to rot. Katya experiences terrible moments losing loved ones, but somehow she manages to persevere and survive. Though she survives, she struggles to forgive herself for living when others could not. Can one find happiness in despair? Will her story help to ease the pain in the Cassie’s heart?

The interweaving of Cassie and Katya’s stories kept me glued to my e-reader. There were some parts of this story that were difficult to read. Man’s inhumanity to his fellow man is terrible, as anyone following the news today can plainly see. The story that runs through this novel tells of the resistance of the Ukrainian people, who have struggled with desperation and war more than once in the past. It sure amazes me how strong they are as a people. I would definitely recommend this book to others who want to better understand the past and how it affected those who lived through it and those who came after it.

A promising newcomer writes to enlighten us about the past oppression of the Ukrainian people as it coincides with a recent parallel tragedy. She reminds us that over the centuries there have been many authoritarian leaders who have attempted to wipe out Ukraine and its people, most notably Stalin and now Putin. The desire has always been to wipe out the Ukrainians and take their land. Litteken, the granddaughter of a WWII Ukrainian refugee, wants readers to learn from the story… how it repeats itself in real time.

While not as uptight or polished as an established writer, Litteken nonetheless deftly lays out Stalin’s plan to convince Ukrainians that if they pool their resources and work together without tuition, they can have a better life and much more prosperous farms. His dual timeline takes place in the fictional town of Sonayshnyky, Ukraine in 1929 and Wisconsin, USA in 2004.

“Ukraine is very fertile and plentiful, and the Stalin believes that we should be the breadbasket of the Soviet Union. To achieve this, he wants us to give up our land and join the kolkhozes. This has been happening in cities across Ukraine for months, and they could be here at any moment.”

Litteken examines the reaction of citizens and readers are aware of the widespread fear when people start disappearing in the middle of the night and rumors of neighbors being deported circulate. Fear increases when people don’t know who to trust and start turning against each other. As we begin to understand a little of the history of this country, the author reveals the growing control of Stalin, using everything in his power to crush them and take their spirits away.

The readers learn about the power of the twenty-five thousand, the annihilation of the kulaks, the OGPU henchmen, and the law of the five stalks of grain. The most studied is the horror of the Holodomor, a man-made famine that would kill nearly 28,000 Ukrainians every day. As I read, my outrage at what the thugs and their anti-Ukrainian policies were achieving grew. If you’re not as familiar with the above points as I am, you need to read on to be better informed.

The resilience we see today was inculcated in these strong and united people, and sentiments like the one below show what they were and still are willing to do for their beloved country. I was amazed at the steps taken by the Ukrainians and gave them silent encouragement as they read. Many citizens agreed that it was more dangerous to sit back and do nothing while Stalin’s troops took everything from them. We see that today.

“We may not be able to stop them, but we can screw up what they want before they take it.”

Common threads of love, hope, resilience and loss are woven across both timelines to produce a reimagined story and an informative read about real events in history denied by the Russian government.

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