Are We All the Last of Our Kind?
“Endling” refers to the last remaining member of a species. If that was not new information to you, I apologize, but I had no idea. Titles with double meanings rock! Maria Reva, a Ukrainian author, tells a unique tale of kidnapping, wartime suffering, and sisterhood that reads like nothing I have ever read. Ukraine is known for its sharp, biting wit.
You cannot set a novel in Ukraine in 2022 without the war becoming a character, even if the heist is the main story. Too much was going on then. The author makes an ambitious attempt at a faux-finis and ends the story on page 140, complete with acknowledgments and “About the Author,” leaving me confused about the remaining 198 pages.
One of the main characters is Pasha, a Canadian with good intentions who gets caught up in the hostage situation. The men obviously worry about themselves while focusing on the war as it relates to their nation and their individual selves. Some parts drag on, but readers will appreciate the marked chaos characteristic of a war-torn atmosphere.
Having relatives in Canada, Ukraine, and Russia gives you a multi-faceted perspective of the conflict. Few supported violence but appeared resigned to a long period of strife, making the rest background noise. Focusing more on the cultural and political aspects may have kept me more interested, since a misguided sub-plot at the end of the novel distracted me more than it added.
The ending is special and ties everything together, but if someone gave me a quiz on the third or fourth, I might fail. War today is unorganized chaos, and that led Reva to create little chaos that probably means more than my mind can process. Politics aside, it is hard to imagine normalcy, order, or calm in Ukraine right now.
(06/30/26)
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