Sky Above Kharkiv: Dispatches from the Ukrainian Front

I'm giving this a 5 stars rating because, as always, I'm not sure how we're supposed to rate our “enjoyment” of someone recounting their real and still current struggles.

There is something really uncanny about reading a book like this one as the war is still ongoing. Literally as I was thinking of how to write this review and almost mindlessly scrolling my socials (in May 2023), I read a post by an acquaintance detailing the recent destruction and loss of life in her city (Kherson) and I was left with almost a sense that this stuff shouldn't be in a book already.

The book is a collection of Facebook posts so unlike a diary they were always intended to be seen by at least some people and there is a sense that most entries were curated at least to some extent. There are a few phrases that are repeated many times throughout the book and they sometimes give a sense of defiance and hope that will not give up and sometimes a sense of grim resignation or anger when the curation mask seems to slip a little. The result is often emotionally devastating but there's never any sense of defeatism, so it doesn't get depressing.

Zhadan does a fantastic work of conveying his love for his city and its people and what it means to him, and it make the entire thing very easy to relate to (well at least if you love your city) which in turn makes it all even more emotional.

I received an eARC from Yale University Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.