Review of Marina

[Ams Strong]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Marina" by Jim Williams.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Marina by Jim Williams is a fictional story about members of a Ukrainian family whose peaceful lives were tragically upset and dreams utterly shattered following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The story unfolds in Bakhmut and its vicinity, the theatre of a fierce battle between the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces. Before the war, life seemed to be moving smoothly for the Dodonovo family. Marina Dodonovo, a teenage Ukrainian girl, looked forward to a bright future and a lovely relationship with her boyfriend, Danylo. As the war that had been raging in the east of Bakhmut drew closer to home, Marina saw the men she deeply cared for—her dad, brother, and boyfriend—get drafted into the Ukrainian army, with a chance of never coming back home. To make matters worse, Marina’s sister went completely missing amidst the chaos, fighting, and shelling. Find out what happened to members of the Dodonovo family at the frontlines and back at home as they courageously fight to hold back the Russian invasion.

Here are the things I loved about this book. Firstly, this book seems well researched and depicts many aspects of the current battlefield in Ukraine, including drones, weapons, conscription, and suspicion of enemy spying from within, on both sides. This book features traditional Ukrainian dishes, Ukrainian-sounding character names, and real Ukrainian village names, bringing this fictional work closer to reality. The characters in this book are relatable, and their courage is inspiring, very much in line with the bravery of real Ukrainians. However, the only thing I disliked about this book is the persistent and gratuitous use of profanity, sexual references, and insults by some characters to dehumanise others, especially Russian characters. Despite this book being fiction, I found it hard to dissociate it from reality due to the aforementioned likeness to real Ukraine and Russia.

I rate this book four out of five stars for the following reasons. Firstly, I hardly came across any grammatical errors or typos while reading, which is always a good thing for me. Secondly, the author seems to have conducted adequate research on the ongoing war. The accurate depiction of Ukrainian culture, cities, and other influential characters of the war reflects this depth of research. Above all, the best thing about this book is the bravery of its characters, irrespective of their gender or age. However, due to much dehumanising content and the gratuitous use of sexual content and profanity in this book, I deduct one star from the maximum rating. I recommend this book to readers of all religions.

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Marina
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