What readers think of I Will Die in a Foreign Land, plus links to write your own review.

"I Will Die in a Foreign Land" by Kalani Pickhart is chaotic, but I suppose the riots and protests they cover were as well. Picture it, Ukraine, 2013: the government has decided to align closer to Russia and Vladimir Putin than the European Union. People, at least the four featured characters, try to go about their business while their world irrevocably changes around them. We meet them through audio transcripts, news clippings, and actual narratives.

As much attention as we provide Ukraine now that we are involved, there was much more to say about the events a decade ago. We, as Americans, may not see the value of the European Union over the Eurasian Economic Union, but the citizens had strong opinions on the subject. Unfortunately, the Ukrainians descended into madness like Americans who did not feel adequately represented at specific historical points. We learn about doctor Katya, injured engineer Mischa, activist Slava, and ex-KGB agent Aleksandr. Keeping up is a struggle but worth it.

I reacted to the enormous death tolls in the protests, considering that it should have been a bigger story. However, when the lives of our four protagonists inevitably intertwine, the author incorporates elements of romance, desperation, and fear. As the doctor is battling some personal tragedy, she must tend to the other three in a way that reminds you how senseless the violence is. No one would see 100 deaths and feel their cause was worth it.

That moment when books reveal the meaning of their title cheapens the novel. Still, Pickhart ties together the Chornobyl (sic) disaster with the protests to show why the main characters may no longer recognize their homeland. The ex-KGB agent, Sasha, appears last in the novel but drives this point home. Slava lives as a lesbian in about the least gay-friendly environment in the world and comes back long enough to figure out why she left.

In an extended war zone, we never become too comfortable that the situation will improve and our heroes will survive. So when a dream sequence causes you to feel the worst, you understand why the characters' decisions can seem haphazard. Yet, when we reach the end, we have learned much from each character and have had a profoundly emotional experience. Every book teaches us the senseless of violence and some wars but keeps giving us more evidence.