'Russia has been trying to wipe Ukraine off the world map for thousands of years. They haven't succeeded yet. Now, I'm picking up my stone and throwing it at Goliath. I want people to understand. I want to save this country.' Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, March 2022 Larissa is a renowned embroiderer, surviving in occupied Ukraine during World War II as a seamstress in her ruin of a workshop. Surrounded by enemies, she expresses her defiance by threading history into her garments. But at what cost? Mykhailo is a soldier on leave, returning to Ukraine from the front on Christmas Eve. As he travels through his country, he is confronted by the hardship the war has brought to his fellow countrymen. Will what he sees this Christmas change the course of his life forever? Marusia and her family are woken early one morning by the arrival of the Nazis, who have come to search for her partisan brother. As the soldiers move through their house, her family has just moments to make choices that will determine their survival. Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger's stories bring to life the true history of her Ukrainian family who fought to survive World War II. Laced with hope, Souvenirs from Kyiv celebrates the endurance and resilience of the human spirit. Souvenirs from Kyiv was awarded 2nd Place in the 2014 HNS International Short Story Award and the collection won the silver medal in the IPPY Book Awards 2020 for Military and Wartime fiction. Praise for Souvenirs from Kyiv: 'I am stunned by the sad beauty . . . That's how I feel after reading a really brilliant book.' Marina Osipova, author of How Dare the Birds Sing
'I couldn't put it down, I read it in one sitting. . . so beautifully written and completely heart-wrenching. . . This is an incredible book please read it.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This book was an eye opener. . . The human need for freedom rings out. Read it. You owe it to yourself. . . I shed tears, tears of sadness and hope.' Sunhusky Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This book opened my eyes to the atrocities that Ukrainians have endured and are once again enduring in 2022. . . Highly recommended' NetGalley reviewer
'A book that made me cry and marvel at the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people' NetGalley reviewer