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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Belorusets is a photographer (2 photo essays are included in the book) and it shows in her writing. She uses a documentary, part fact, part fiction style that at the same time incorporates fantastical elements, to explore the upended lives of mostly women in a series of interview-like stories set during the 2014 war in Ukraine.
Almost none of the stories deals directly with combat. Instead, through the views of a cosmetologist, a florist, a shilly-shallier, sisters, and others, whose lives have been thoroughly disoriented by a kind of civilian "fog of war," she threw me into the grayish limbo of women trying to make sense of and bring some order to their lives -- lives in which they've lost husbands, children, possessions, and often their homes. I was mesmerized by the stories and by the bravery of Ukrainian women who somehow find ways to carry on in a situation which feels absolutely impossible.
Almost none of the stories deals directly with combat. Instead, through the views of a cosmetologist, a florist, a shilly-shallier, sisters, and others, whose lives have been thoroughly disoriented by a kind of civilian "fog of war," she threw me into the grayish limbo of women trying to make sense of and bring some order to their lives -- lives in which they've lost husbands, children, possessions, and often their homes. I was mesmerized by the stories and by the bravery of Ukrainian women who somehow find ways to carry on in a situation which feels absolutely impossible.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
im typically not great with short story collections so this took a while to finish
very well crafted literary photographs, i disagree with some of the other reviews that suggested the esotericism was ill-suited to the subject. i felt like it was an original step in a well-established genre.
very well crafted literary photographs, i disagree with some of the other reviews that suggested the esotericism was ill-suited to the subject. i felt like it was an original step in a well-established genre.
reflective
slow-paced
I feel conflicted about this book. Perhaps I didn't give it enough time, it had way less impact and weight than I expected. I felt like we are just scraping the surface level of the issue, I was missing a bigger picture and a deeper explanation of what's going on. The translator's note left me with some insight which I am grateful for. Maybe the main issue is that this is written for people who are more familiar with the ongoing war in Ukraine and the everyday issues of the affected people.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
«The florist disappeared. The house where she lived was destroyed. Her store was refitted into a warehouse of propaganda materials. (…) “She must be fighting on the side of the hyacinths.”»
Belorusets’ “Lucky Breaks” is a short story collection that documents the lives of Ukrainian women as they live through the Russo-Ukrainian War.
At times, the short stories are comedic—as in “The Woman with the Black, Broken Umbrella”, where the titular woman rescues the titular umbrella, only to berate it in a fit of frustration. Others are a touch more poignant—as in “The Florist” (which the quote above belongs to) and “Neighbour Histories”.
The author’s choice to focus on women is deliberate as she champions their unheard and overlooked lives: to represent the women who begrudgingly settle for establishments that objectify them that they don’t have to starve for one day, to bring to the foreground the women displaced by conflict and live with the trauma.
Given such heavy topics—discussions that need to be had—I am not entirely on board with the aphoristic quality of the majority of the stories. However, let this not take away from the fact that the quality of the writing is top-notch and clearly shows Belorusets’ skill to producing such literary photographs. The (actual) photographs by the author herself that pair some of these stories also help immerse the reader into the feeling and reality that is explored.
Having read this a few months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early this year (2022) has made me all the more appreciate the importance of this collection. May “Lucky Breaks” be more widely read.
Belorusets’ “Lucky Breaks” is a short story collection that documents the lives of Ukrainian women as they live through the Russo-Ukrainian War.
At times, the short stories are comedic—as in “The Woman with the Black, Broken Umbrella”, where the titular woman rescues the titular umbrella, only to berate it in a fit of frustration. Others are a touch more poignant—as in “The Florist” (which the quote above belongs to) and “Neighbour Histories”.
The author’s choice to focus on women is deliberate as she champions their unheard and overlooked lives: to represent the women who begrudgingly settle for establishments that objectify them that they don’t have to starve for one day, to bring to the foreground the women displaced by conflict and live with the trauma.
Given such heavy topics—discussions that need to be had—I am not entirely on board with the aphoristic quality of the majority of the stories. However, let this not take away from the fact that the quality of the writing is top-notch and clearly shows Belorusets’ skill to producing such literary photographs. The (actual) photographs by the author herself that pair some of these stories also help immerse the reader into the feeling and reality that is explored.
Having read this a few months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early this year (2022) has made me all the more appreciate the importance of this collection. May “Lucky Breaks” be more widely read.
So many of these stories toe the line between the absurd of life and a quasi-magical wordview that it’s at times hard to say where characters and narrator fall. Yes, war is there—as part of their lives, the background of scenes, the stories that led them to whatever point we meet them at. You often have to do a double-take, and then only to find out that the whole thing has yet more layers, perhaps hiding a chuckle or a giggle.
‼️Read the translator’s note first! (Seriously, so many editor’s and translator’s notes full of spoilers placed before the text, then one like this, so illuminating and contextualizing the stories and the author, gets pushed to the end of the volume!)
‼️Read the translator’s note first! (Seriously, so many editor’s and translator’s notes full of spoilers placed before the text, then one like this, so illuminating and contextualizing the stories and the author, gets pushed to the end of the volume!)
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m slightly conflicted on this. On the one hand I enjoyed Belorusets’s writing style, and the general dreamlike vibe of the whole collection. And I am not opposed to short story collections that are more a collective of ramblings than narratives. Yet this didn’t fully work for me. Something about it felt disjointed in a way that detracted from the text ever so slightly. Not enough to make it bad, but enough that I noticed.
I kind of wonder if I’d feel slightly differently if I read it in its native tongue.
I kind of wonder if I’d feel slightly differently if I read it in its native tongue.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A