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Review: The Lost Year

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The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine 
By Katherine Marsh 
Roaring Brook Press, 2023. 354 p. 

Matthew is bored. It is the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and he is stuck at home. And unlike most of his friends, he canā€™t even go hang out in backyards due to the frail health of his Great-Grandmother (aka GG) who lives with him. Matthewā€™s mom tells him to go outside when she thinks he has played too much Zelda on his switch, then regrets it when Matthew nearly causes an accident with a bow and arrow. Now Matthew canā€™t get his switch back until he helps GG go through some boxes that GG doesnā€™t want to touch and Matthewā€™s mom doesnā€™t have time for. The boxes end up telling a story that GG isnā€™t sure she wants to remember. A story about her growing up during the Ukrainian Famine. 

The book is told in three perspectives: Matthew, Mila (a spoiled Soviet communist living in Kyiv), and Helen (GGā€™s cousin in America that wants to help her family in Ukraine). With rich details, powerful emotions, and bit of a mystery surrounding GGā€™s past and why she doesnā€™t want to remember it; readers will devour Matthey and GGā€™s stories. This is a powerful blend of modern realistic and historical fiction. And for readers who love audio books, this is a great one to listen to as well.

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