Endling
Authors: Maria Reva
Published by: Virago
Pages: 340
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★1/2
Published by: Virago
Pages: 340
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★1/2
Ukraine, 2022. Yeva is a maverick scientist who scours the country's forests and valleys, trying and failing to breed rare snails while her relatives urge her to settle down and start a family of her own. What they don't know: Yeva already dates plenty of men-not for love, but to fund her work-entertaining Westerners who come to Ukraine on guided romance tours believing they'll find docile brides untainted by feminism.
Nastia and her sister, Solomiya, are also entangled in the booming marriage industry, posing as a hopeful bride and her translator while secretly searching for their missing mother, who vanished after years of fierce activism against the romance tours.
So begins a journey of a lifetime across a country on the brink of war: three angry women, a truckful of kidnapped bachelors, and Lefty, a last-of-his-kind snail with one final shot at perpetuating his species.
Nastia and her sister, Solomiya, are also entangled in the booming marriage industry, posing as a hopeful bride and her translator while secretly searching for their missing mother, who vanished after years of fierce activism against the romance tours.
So begins a journey of a lifetime across a country on the brink of war: three angry women, a truckful of kidnapped bachelors, and Lefty, a last-of-his-kind snail with one final shot at perpetuating his species.
My thoughts:
I found the first part of Endling a little slow to settle into, and at times I struggled to fully find my footing in the story. That said, I was still intrigued enough to keep reading, and I’m glad I did, because the second half really came alive for me.
Set in Ukraine as Putin’s invasion begins, Endling follows three young women travelling together while on two very different missions. I found it to be a surprisingly playful and experimental novel, but also a deeply moving one, exploring ideas around identity, gender, power, colonialism and what it means to have control (or not) over your own life. There’s even quite a lot of humour alongside the darker themes, which I wasn’t expecting.
As the story unfolded, I found the twists and turns increasingly compelling, and I particularly enjoyed getting to know the characters on a deeper level. There’s something very moving and intriguing about Reva’s writing, and I found myself becoming increasingly invested in where the story was going.
I also really enjoyed the more experimental elements of the novel. It’s an unusual format for a contemporary mainstream read, and I appreciated how distinctive and unpredictable it felt. At its best, I found the storytelling completely absorbing, making Endling feel like a very distinctive and beautifully written memorable debut.
Overall, this was a unique and enjoyable read for me. It took a little while to get into, but ultimately rewarded my patience with an inventive, moving and memorable second half.
Overall reaction:
I found the first part of Endling a little slow to settle into, and at times I struggled to fully find my footing in the story. That said, I was still intrigued enough to keep reading, and I’m glad I did, because the second half really came alive for me.
Set in Ukraine as Putin’s invasion begins, Endling follows three young women travelling together while on two very different missions. I found it to be a surprisingly playful and experimental novel, but also a deeply moving one, exploring ideas around identity, gender, power, colonialism and what it means to have control (or not) over your own life. There’s even quite a lot of humour alongside the darker themes, which I wasn’t expecting.
As the story unfolded, I found the twists and turns increasingly compelling, and I particularly enjoyed getting to know the characters on a deeper level. There’s something very moving and intriguing about Reva’s writing, and I found myself becoming increasingly invested in where the story was going.
I also really enjoyed the more experimental elements of the novel. It’s an unusual format for a contemporary mainstream read, and I appreciated how distinctive and unpredictable it felt. At its best, I found the storytelling completely absorbing, making Endling feel like a very distinctive and beautifully written memorable debut.
Overall, this was a unique and enjoyable read for me. It took a little while to get into, but ultimately rewarded my patience with an inventive, moving and memorable second half.
Overall reaction:
