(Reviewed by JD Jung)
#CommissionsEarned
“It was disheartening and revolting to witness the country repeating the same mistakes and going around in circles. Slava believed that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it would be impossible to make the same mistakes again. However, not much time has passed, and now Stalin is gaining popularity again, with many people considering the Great Terror and the Gulag to be hoaxes. “
Slava Tarasov and his wife Tanya face similar problems that other couples experience but live a relatively ordinary life in Moscow. However, February 24, 2022 would change it all. This was the day the Russians first bombed Ukraine, and their lives would never be the same.
Tanya’s grandparents live in Ukraine, and she is fearful for their well-being. However, taking the “wrong” side comes at a steep cost, as Slava soon learns. The Russian Government has silenced social media; conventional media is blaming NATO for the war, spouting that the entire world is against them and that they must defend their sovereignty.
Readers not only learn about this couple’s everyday life—and Salva’s vivid imagination— along with the lives of friends and co-workers, but also how this war is tearing Russian families apart.
When author Marina Alova (a pseudonym), requested that I read their book, I was intrigued. He/she maintained that they live in Moscow and of course, must protect their identity. Though I have no way of verifying this, I can tell that English is not the author’s primary language.
That aside, I must say that the novella is very well written. I wish it was longer though, as I was invested in the characters and how their lives would play out. However, the author succeeded in explaining how Putin’s propaganda is affecting Russian citizens and how their lives and privacy are threatened.
Who is bombing Kyiv?! is a short read, but an essential one.
