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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 can’t even go hang out in backyards due to the frail health of his Great-Grandmother (aka GG) who lives with him. Matthew’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 can’t get his switch back until he helps GG go through some boxes that GG doesn’t want to touch and Matthew’s mom doesn’t have time for. The boxes end up telling a story that GG isn’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 (GG’s cousin in America that wants to help her family in Ukraine). With rich details, powerful emotions, and bit of a mystery surrounding GG’s past and why she doesn’t want to remember it; readers will devour Matthey and GG’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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