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

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Written before the present atrocities in Ukraine, this is a tough book to read, but it needs to be read. Litteken is a good story teller and she portrays the horrors without being overly graphic.

I never imagined the release of my novel on a past assault of the Ukrainian people would coincide with such a parallel tragedy. That it depicts the nation’s suffering as a result of Russian meddling is less coincidence than, well, history. The granddaughter of a Ukrainian refugee, Litteken grew up hearing about the difficulties of life in Eastern Europe during, and after, World War II. That led her to the Holodomor, a time when Stalin’s heavy-handed attempts to force Ukraine to collectivize left an estimated 13% of the nation dead. Whatever the case, I think it's a good effort to increase awareness of the tragedy that was the Ukrainian famine, and I liked the story of Katya. I don't recall seeing any other novels with this topic, and for that alone, it's a very important book that should be read now. This novel hits all the right notes–historical fiction about a subject most people don’t know about, romance, family bonds and secrets, and a beautiful, cathartic ending.

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A stunning portrait of Ukraine and its people, of strength, of endurance, of the fight for survival during the forced famine, the Holodomor, but also a tender story of Katya, a grandmother whose hidden history holds the power to guide her granddaughter through the darkness of loss and grief, toward life and a limitless future. A remarkable read not to be missed."

A stunning portrait of Ukraine and its people, of strength, of endurance, of the fight for survival during the forced famine, the Holodomor, but also a tender story of Katya, a grandmother whose hidden history holds the power to guide her granddaughter through the darkness of loss and grief, toward life and a limitless future. A remarkable read not to be missed.” Lisa Wingate, author of *Before We Were Yours 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. This novel is very timely to what’s happening in the news regarding the political issues going on between Ukraine & Russia. This is a very interesting book that shows strong courage and unwavering hope. We are assured there is light after the darkness. I loved the glimpse provided into Ukrainian traditions and rituals. The book didn’t use Ukraine for the sake of it but actually incorporated its people, its culture and its values into the storyline. This is how places must be used in historical stories.

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The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is a meticulously researched novel . . . depicting a country whose people managed to dig deep enough to find the strength, determination and heart to survive." Deborah Carr, author of An Island at War In 1929 leidt de zestienjarige Katya nog een onbezorgd leven; ze wordt omringd door familie en is verliefd op haar buurjongen. Maar Stalins plan om Oekraïne, de graanschuur van Europa, in te lijven bij het communistische This is a story of the resilience of the human spirit, the love that sees us through our darkest hours and the true horror of what happened during the Holodomor. As a novel, The Memory Keeper of Kyiv shares the same weakness as other books with the same alternating timelines format: The past was so horrible that the modern-day protagonist’s dilemma pales in comparison. The chapters that tell Katya’s story are so compelling that readers may end up skipping Cassie’s sections all together. Still, the theme of hope after tragedy ties the two sections together, making them both worth reading. The Memory Keeper of Kyivis a novel chosen through Book Club Bites’ collaboration with The Best of Women’s Fiction podcast.

It is but obvious to connect this book with the situation in Ukraine right now. It is quite surreal, almost absurd that this book has come out in a year where history seems to be repeating itself. Wonder when leaders will learn from past mistakes and focus more on living in harmony than on satisfying their hunger for more power and control. 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 follows an Ukrainian family and their struggle for survival as the country is forced to go through Holodomor. I had never heard of this or learned about this in school . Holodomor is a forced starvation from 1932 to 1933 killing up to 5 million people. It was carried out by the Soviet Regime. The forgotten patch of sunflowers, buried in the weeds of the overgrown yard, smiled up at her… Despite everything, they fought to grow, to live, to rise up amidst the ruin of their land….” Like the sunflowers, Katya fought to live – what do you think gave her the strength to rise up It’s the same story every time, for centuries. Everyone wants Ukraine’s fertile soil for their own, and nobody wants to let Ukrainians rule it. “Litteken is a careful researcher, and she fleshes out this history in her detailed author’s note following the novel. She also mentions that she was originally motivated to write the story of how her great-grandmother and her family fled their Ukrainian village during World War II, but then learned of the Holodomor and knew that this story had to come first. It’s astonishing that the same family had to deal with so much misery, and I imagine Litteken’s next book will be just as compelling. Breathtaking. Devastating. Erin Litteken's The Memory Keeper of Kyiv chronicles a defining but forgotten moment of Ukrainian history.” Amanda McCrina, author of The Silent Unseen 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? The human suffering involved at the hands of the Soviets is appalling and now we are seeing a similar thing play out on the world stage which brings these issues sharply into focus.

Ukrainians today are fighting for their country with a strength and tenacity that has captivated the world, but it is impossible to deny that history is repeating itself. It’s horrifying, and we must do better.The contemporary timeline, while interesting, is very drab in comparison to the past story. It is too predictable. The characters are pretty one-dimensional. I also found it very farfetched that Cassie’s family, especially her mom, knew zilch about their Ukrainian heritage. Cassie seemed quite incapable of understanding even the most obvious of connections while the rest of us could decode the clues from a mile away. This is a story that will not be easily forgotten. It will stay with you long after you read it. It is a part of history I knew nothing about. I cannot believe now the Soviets are once again terrorizing the people in the Ukraine. History really does repeat itself. I do recommend this book. The historical fiction novel The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by debut novelist Erin Litteken tells the story of a little known piece of history that occurred in the 1930s Ukraine called “Holodomor”, that was a man-made famine issued by Joseph Stalin & the Soviet Union. Why do you think Bobby refused to consider an assisted living facility? How did she come to accept Cassie’s help?