Title: Escape From Ukraine: One Man’s Journey to The Black Sea
Author: Ward R. Anderson
Publisher: Inks & Bindings
ISBN: TBA
Pages: TBA
Genre: Historical Fiction / Family Saga / Coming of Age
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda
Hollywood Book Reviews
Escape From Ukraine: One Man’s Journey to The Black Sea is a sweeping historical novel by author Ward R. Anderson. Set against the backdrop of Stalin’s horrifying regime, Nazi occupation of Ukraine, postwar Communism, and Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the book follows one family’s escape from Ukraine.
Dmytro’s life began in 1934 on the fringes of the Soviet Empire in Southwestern Ukraine, a fertile terrain coveted by tribes and rival powers. His family lived in fear and the atrocities they had witnessed over the years made them trust no one.
One day, a Czech conscript who had deserted duty turns up in their isolated home presenting them with a possible escape to safety. They are faced with a delicate dilemma on whether to trust the stranger and make a thousand-mile treacherous trek with him across the Carpathian Mountains or stay and wait for the Russian and Nazi carnage and a possible sentence to Siberia.
This majestic work follows Dmytro, whose name subsequently changes to Lubos, as he begins a new life, with new struggles and dangers. It is a tale of loss, pain, valor, courage, transition, and hope. The novel spans seventy years weaving its way into the modern days and the gradual changes in Ukraine and other countries in Eastern Europe. It is a brutal, convoluted, and an ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary power of the human spirit and its ability to endure – even in the bleakest times.
Author Anderson writes with prowess about the effects of war and the cruelty of authoritarianism without blotting out the core value of human existence. The descriptions of life at a time of war are real and visceral making this pitch-perfect yarn a timely reminder of the need for diplomacy and democracy to salvage any flattering peace between nations.
Ward R. Anderson has come out as an accomplished writer and an adept historian. Escape From Ukraine: One Man’s Journey to The Black Sea deserves a standing ovation for sure!