The Rooster House: A Ukrainian Family Memoir

The Rooster House is a novel that tells the story of Victoria's search for her great-grandfather's story, who vanished in the 1930s fighting for a free Ukraine. Inspired by her love for her family, the book is a tribute to hope and the refusal of despair.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2024
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

In the Ukrainian city of Poltava, a remarkable building known as the Rooster House stands, an elegant mansion adorned with two majestic red roosters flanking the entrance. It may not evoke a sense of horror. Yet, when Victoria was a young girl growing up in the 1980s, her great-grandmother would make a conscious effort to avoid passing by it.

In 2014, during the tumultuous period when the Russian state was annexing Crimea, Victoria visited her grandmother in Bereh, a charming hamlet near Poltava that held a special place in her childhood memories. Just before embarking on the trip, Victoria stumbled upon her great-grandfather's diary, a page etched with the single line: "Brother Nikodim, vanished in the 1930s fighting for a free Ukraine."

Victoria had never heard of this uncle, and no one, particularly her grandmother, seemed eager to share any details about him. Fueled by an insatiable curiosity, Victoria became deeply obsessed with unraveling his story. She returned to her birth country numerous times, navigating through the intricate bureaucracy of post-Soviet Ukraine, venturing into tiny, devastated villages, and engaging in conversations with the wise survivors of that era. After years of tireless searching, her winding journey led her back to the very place she had always known it would—the Rooster House, and the dark secrets concealed within its basement.

The Rooster House is a captivating tale, woven with the author's deep affection for her family and populated by vibrant, larger-than-life characters who coexist alongside the haunting absences of others. It serves as both a captivating exploration into the intricate history of a wounded nation and a deeply poignant tribute to hope and the unwavering resistance against despair.

Weight: 244g
Dimension: 126 x 197 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780349017341