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The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister
- Narrated by: Olesya Khromeychuk
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
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Summary
A moving and thought-provoking story of loss and wa
WITH A FOREWORD BY PHILIPPE SANDS AND AN INTRODUCTION BY ANDREY KURKOV
Killed by shrapnel as he served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Olesya Khromeychuk's brother Volodymyr died on the frontline in eastern Ukraine. As Olesya tries to come to terms with losing her brother, she also tries to process the Russian invasion of Ukraine: as an immigrant living far from the frontline, as a historian of war and how societies respond to them, and as a woman, a civilian, and a sister.
In this timely blend of memoir and essay, Olesya Khromeychuk tells the story of her brother - the wiser older sibling, the artist and the soldier - and of his death. Deeply moving and thoughtful, The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister picks apart the ways political violence shapes everyone and everything it touches and depicts with extraordinary intimacy the singular and complicated bond between a brother and sister. Olesya's vivid writing is a personal and powerful commitment to honesty in life, in death and in memory.
'Soon before he died, my brother said he had become a warrior. Why would a thinker, an artist, wish to become a soldier? Perhaps I didn't appreciate what it meant to be a thinker and an artist, or, maybe, what it meant to be a soldier.'
Critic reviews
"Moving, intelligent and brilliantly written, this is a sister's reckoning with a lost brother, an émigré's with the country of her childhood, and a scholar's with her own suddenly acutely personal subject matter. A wonderful combination of emotional and intellectual honesty." (Anna Reid, author of Borderland: A Journey Through the History of Ukraine)
"Elegantly written...packed with the sharpness of moments when a death suddenly becomes real." (TLS)
"In vivid, intimate prose and with unflinching honesty, Olesya Khromeychuk introduces us to the brother she lost in the war and found in her grief. Poignant, wise and unforgettable." (Dr Rory Finnin, University of Cambridge)
What listeners say about The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister
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- Victoria
- 04-09-22
Vital & compelling. An important story told beautifully
Nuanced, smart and poignant. This very personal account weaves itself into the bigger context of this Historical time. Great recording by the author. Moving, but bot overly sentimental. An honest and brilliant work. I will purchase the hard copy as well, as this book is truly inspiring . Easy to get into, with so much to digest. Bravo!
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- William
- 06-11-22
Appears relevant and important but disappoints
It feels somehow shabby not to endorse unconditionally a book which sets out to humanise the terrible conflict we are seeing in the news every day. And yet, the impression it conveys is one of disappointment.
With so much attention currently on events in Ukraine, the title suggests that the less-told story about the human side of the conflict will deepen our understanding and engage our humanity. However the focus is overwhelmingly on the sister of the soldier killed in battle. The book is about her.
She is indeed a remarkably fluent writer, and an excellent narrator. Many of the situations she is forced to deal with are the stuff of nightmare and trauma. Her responses are frequently extraordinary and heroic. The descriptions of how much more difficult life is in Ukraine for women are illuminating.
Yet the brother remains a sketchy figure, as do the other family members. The focus on the experience of the author and the unrelenting use of the first person creates a claustrophobic atmosphere. We are left understanding a little more about bereavement and some aspects of human nature, but the self-referential perspective limits the book's appeal.
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