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

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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. Has your book club been searching for a novel about Ukraine? Given the devastating current events in Ukraine, you might be wishing to read more about the country and its people. If so, The Memory Keeper of Kyivis the perfect choice.

Serve it with a loaf of fresh, crusty bread for dipping and a sprinkle of fresh dill to compliment the sour notes. This is a very interesting book that shows strong courage and unwavering hope. We are assured there is light after the darkness. With the help of a kind neighbor who is fluent in Ukrainian, Cassie is able to translate her grandmother’s journal. Through this journal, Cassie learns of the unspeakable hardships her grandmother suffered during the Holodomor (great famine) inflicted on the Ukrainian people at the direction of Stalin in the 1930’s. As sparks fly between the young widow and the hunky neighbor, they learn the truth about Bobby’s harrowing early life. In 1929, Katya was 16, in love with the boy next door, a doting daughter and younger sister who worked on the family farm. But when Stalin’s men arrived, they insisted the local farmers join the collective and punished anyone who resisted. As the Russians take more and more from the Ukrainians, the impossible starts to unfold—starvation in the land of plenty. And help seems impossible.

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A compelling and intimate story of love and survival. Harrowing and haunting . . . yet, at the same time, it is sensitive, beautiful and inspiring. Everybody should read this story, especially now. I cannot recommend it highly enough.” Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Loved the author’s note. I was amazed to see how well she has incorporated her grandma’s Ukrainian roots in the historical timeline. There is a touch of authenticity to the entire story and it shows how well the content has been researched. Shredded beets do take some effort. Be sure to remove the skin of the beet before shredding. And wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little beet juice on. 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? Katya faced an unthinkable choice when her mother asked her to marry Kolya. Do you think Katya made the right choice?The following description of the early 1930s Ukraine is excerpted from the nonfiction history book The Gates of Europe, by Serhii Plokhy. Altogether, close to 4 million people perished in Ukraine as a result of the famine, more than decimating the country—every eighth person succumbed to hunger between 1932 and 1934. Portions of this story will bring you to tears. However, the book also contains romance and parent-child love which will make you feel good. Late in the book the story contains a poignant heart warming communication between great-grandmother and great-granddaughter. And the very end of the Epilogue contains a final surprise. 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 enlisted my family to help me recreate some of the family recipes we hadn’t made in a while. It was really special to get everyone together, prepare the food my great-grandmother used to make for us, and teach my children those traditions. The Memory Keeper of Kyiv Book Club Questions:

Have you read The Memory Keeper of Kyiv? What did you think? Did it satisfy you or were you left wishing for more? What are some similar books you’ve read?

“A powerfully moving debut . . . Ukraine’s tragic history painfully echoes its current crisis, and on every page the Ukrainian spirit shines out, unbowed, unbent and unbroken.” Kate Quinn, author of The Diamond Eye

A debut author with plenty of promise writes to educate us on the past oppression of the Ukraine people as it coincides with recent parallel tragedy. She reminds us that throughout the centuries there’ve been many authoritarian leaders trying to eradicate Ukraine and its people, most famously, Stalin and now, Putin. The desire has always been to stamp out Ukrainians and take their land. Litteken, a granddaughter of a WW2 Ukrainian refugee, wants readers to learn from history….as it’s repeating itself in real-time. Why do you think Bobby refused to consider an assisted living facility? How did she come to accept Cassie’s help? Each of the characters in this story come to life vividly, and I felt like I was right beside them watching each of the horrors they faced. The storyline flows beautifully between past and present leaving a book you can't put down. I can't wait to see what is yet to come in the way of stories from this debut author. I never imagined the release of my novel on a past oppression of the Ukrainian people would coincide with such a parallel tragedy." Erin Litteken Katya broke the law again and again to get food for her family, even after Alina’s death. Did she make the right choice? Why do you think Alina sacrificed herself and took the blame for Katya’s theft?

In the 1930s, Stalin’s activists marched through the Soviet Union, espousing the greatness of collective farming. It was the first step in creating a man-made famine that, in Ukraine, stole almost 4 million lives. Inspired by the history the world forgot, and the Russian government denies, Erin Litteken reimagines their story.Cassie and Anna carried on some family traditions, but they’re unaware of many other facets of their family’s heritage. How much of your family history do you know and what traditions do you carry on? How important are these things to you? 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 Putin’s invasion of Ukraine bears parallels to Stalin’s oppression of Ukrainians during his rule, including a desire to eliminate Ukrainians and their culture and history. In what ways can we, as a society, work to ensure such things don’t happen again? 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. Erin Litteken timely debut novel "The Memory Keeper of Kyiv" does just that by telling, in dual time frames, the story of 16 year old Katya and her survival of the Great Famine starting in 1930 and her granddaughter, Cassie, gradually learning her "Bobby's" history she had kept hidden. I read this novel in one day because Katya's story is an example of indomitable spirit, courage and love in the face of unimaginable horror. Cassie's story's weaker but was a relief as she has also known loss that is put in perspective as she learns the hidden history of her grandmother. A compelling story that kept my attention (and caused some tears) right until the end.