The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken

 "The Memory Keeper of Kyiv" by Erin Litteken

In 1929, Katya is 16 years old, surrounded by family and in love with the boy next door. When Stalin’s activists arrive in her village, it’s just a few, a little pressure to join the collective. But soon neighbors disappear, those who speak out are never seen again and every new day is uncertain.

Resistance has a price, and as desperate hunger grips the countryside, survival seems more a dream than a possibility. But, even in the darkest times, love beckons.

Seventy years later, a young widow discovers her grandmother’s journal, one that will reveal the long-buried secrets of her family’s haunted past.

This book is one of those books where you need to know what happens next.  It really is a page turner. Each chapter jumps between the 1930's, which is about Katya and her family; and to the early 2003/2004 and Cassie, Katya's grand daughter.

I learned such a lot from this book.  I had never heard of Holodomor in the Ukraine and now what is happening in Ukraine with the Russian invasion; it must all feel like some sort of a bad dream for the people of Ukraine.  The author's notes are very interesting and should be read.

It really is very thought provoking and is a good read.  What those poor people went through in the 1930's beggar's belief.  The strength of character on the survivors is unbelievable. 

Stars out of 5 : 5  I couldn't put this book down.  It's a must read, especially in light of what is going on in the Ukraine right now