Description
Book SynopsisOksana Zabuzhko, author of “the most influential Ukrainian book in the fifteen years since independence,” Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex, returns with a gripping short story collection. Oksana Zabuzhko, Ukraine’s leading public intellectual, is called upon to make sense of the unthinkable reality of our times. In this breathtaking short story collection, she turns the concept of truth over in her hands like a beautifully crafted pair of gloves. From the triumph of the Orange Revolution, which marked the start of the twenty-first century, to domestic victories in matchmaking, sibling rivalry, and even tennis, Zabuzhko manages to shock the reader by juxtaposing things as they are—inarguable, visible to the naked eye—with how things could be, weaving myth and fairy tale into pivotal moments just as we weave a satisfying narrative arc into our own personal mythologies. At once intimate and worldly, these stories resonate with Zabuzhko’s irreverent and prescient voice, echoing long after reading.
Trade Review“Themes of fear, desire, and national camaraderie flow through Ukrainian author and philosopher Zabuzhko’s (The Museum of Abandoned Secrets, 2012, etc.) eight fiery tales. Zabuzhko has been recognized internationally for her irreverent voice and, even within the first few pages of this collection, one can see why…Evocative stories about the way national issues impact even the most personal aspects of life.” —Kirkus Reviews “Objective truth and personal mythologies collide in Zabuzhko’s short story collection, which centers on the question of just what truth is in this contemporary moment. She takes readers on a journey from the triumph of the Orange Revolution to domestic victories in matchmaking and sibling rivalry, challenging us to think about how things could be by incorporating elements of myth and fairytale in these breathtaking stories.” —PEN America
