35. One More Year

While I do not normally read short stories, I found One More Year by Sana Krasikov intriguing simply because of the topic and the multicultural aspects of the stories. Krasikov was born in the Ukraine and grew up in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Certainly with the problems in that area of the world, my heart goes out to the author and I hope that any family members she may still have in Georgia are safe. An instructor I know was visiting family in Georgia when the fighting broke out and, while terrified, hopes to return home to his wife and child as soon as possible. Merely thinking about this situation leads one to consider the immigrants who are central to this collection of short stories and who have half of their hearts in two countries.

Krasikov provides us with eight short stories – with each story dealing with a character that has left one place for another, hoping for a better life for themselves or someone they love or even, perhaps, to escape a life they can no longer bear. The courage of change – to leave what is impossible for what is possible. Hope for a different place with a different result. Unfortunately, the hope is often greater than what is possible and the character is faced with even greater obstacles. Choices are somewhat limited. Still, many of the characters held on to hope in spite of the difficulties.

An excellent interview with the author can be read at Three Guys One Book. She has a great deal of maturity for a newly published author and I look forward to her first novel. I must admit that I liked the cover on the ARC better than the current cover.

I love it!!!!

TITLE: One More Year
AUTHOR: Sana Krasikov
COPYRIGHT: August 12, 2008
PAGES: 196
TYPE: fiction, short stories
RECOMMEND: I enjoyed the stories and hoped to see beyond the end.

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