You know how Her Royal Momness and I love historical fiction, right? Could scarf it up with a spoon. Forget to eat breakfast. Lunch. And dinner. Stay up all night until The End. Forego another round of extra-crispy bacon.

It’s Official!

Wait. Belay that last one. But suffice it to say that of the bazillion historical fiction titles we’ve read lately, Melissa Cole’s A Grain of Hope is one of the most compelling. In fact, we’re giving A Grain of Hope The Official Mom and Kimber Must-Read Stamp of Approval.  Here’s why:

A Grain of Hope

By Melissa Cole (Indie author, 2024)

Genre: Historical Fiction/European history

“Survival… is not just about food or shelter. It’s about maintaining the goodness within your soul, even when the world tries to tear it from your grasp.”

So observes an elderly survivor of the early Soviet regime in this hauntingly evocative and utterly compelling historical fiction tome by Melissa Cole. Buckle up as this intricate and heart-wrenching story chronicles one of the darkest – and too-often forgotten – chapters in human history: A man-made famine that costs millions of people their lives.

Setting

Set in a small Ukrainian community during the early 1930s, this harrowing and heartfelt story is about an “artificial, deliberately planned famine” called the Ukrainian Holodomor. The Holodomor was the “first instance of a peacetime genocide in history.”

It’s grim. It’s intense. It’s riveting. And not to be forgotten.

Who & What

The books follows the lives of thirteen year-old Oksana Kovalenko and her family. They live in small Ukrainian farming village near the Dnieper River. Oksana, along with her father Mikhail, mother Nadya, and older brother Peter must navigate collectivization, confiscation, and other Stalinist dictates that spell disaster for the Kovalenkos and millions of others. Readers are soon swept into an all-or-nothing battle of will and wits in a desperate attempt to survive forced collectivization under Joseph Stalin and the infamous Holodomor famine that devastated Ukraine in the early 1930s.

Along the way, readers see how Oksana and her best friend, Anya Yovenko change when the communists invade their Ukrainian village. While Oksana and her family stubbornly refuse to be forced onto the collective and struggle to keep their farm, Anya’s father joins the Communist Party. Lured by a glowing fiction of “equality and a brighter future for all” under communism, Anya joins the Komsomol, the Young Communist League. Now Oksana and Anya are on opposite sides of the political fence. Will their friendship survive? How?

Uh-Oh

Meanwhile, as government demands increase, food for villagers decreases dramatically. Oksana’s once thriving village struggles with scarcity as well as fear, betrayal, and desperation. Neighbors, family members and lifelong friends turn on each other for a slice of bread as hunger stalks their every move. Anyone who resists is labeled a kulak – an Enemy of the State – and faces an uncertain future, to put it mildly.

Deja Vu?

Oksana soon learns that elderly Ms. Kateryna survived the early days of Soviet rule. Barely. So did Oksana’s mother. When Nadya falls ill due to malnutrition, Oksana finds her mother’s journal hidden in the family barn. Reading it, Oksana travels back in time and learns her mother lost her own parents to Soviet rule.

It seems history is repeating itself.

Thirty Thousand

But Oksana and a handful of other villagers refuse to give in to fear and despair. Oksana soon learns the truth of Ms. Kateryna’s words as thirty thousand Ukrainians succumb to starvation every day. Thirty. Thousand. Ukrainians.

Desperate, Oksana, Peter, Ms. Kateryna and a handful of others hatch a plan to steal grain from a government warehouse. The plan is as daring as it is dangerous. If successful, they can save their village from starvation. If caught, they’ll be shot. Meanwhile, the omnipresent question hovers over all like a deathly pall: Who can we trust?

Couldn’t Put It Down!

The answer to that question and how Oksana clings to survival while planting seeds of hope takes up the balance of this thoroughly engrossing historical fiction tome. We couldn’t put it down!

The Forgotten

This hauntingly evocative story was written on behalf of the forgotten victims of communism. Particularly devastating in Ukraine, the Holodomor famine claimed the lives of about seven million people “due to government-imposed grain requisitions and confiscation.” Seven. Million. People. Who lost their lives due to a man-made famine. Thus, A Grain of Hope is an important part of history that should never be forgotten. This book reminds us of same: “We still have each other, and that’s worth fighting for.”

Quiet Strength

Buoyed by top-notch writing and expert pacing, the narrative projects a quiet strength and dignity; the story virtually leaps off the page and into your heart. Gently nuanced and subtle, the events of Oksana’s life evince a deep well of resilience and hope. This dual theme winds through each chapter as Oksana and others stage small acts of defiance against the seemingly invincible communists and refuse to give up, even in the face of unspeakable cruelty, evil, brutality, and betrayal.

It’s quite remarkable. And thoroughly unforgettable. So I’d grab a copy now ‘fize you.

Hailey’s Comet

As you know, we give five-star ratings about as often as Hailey’s Comet flies by. But this book earns Every. Single. Star. We read it cover-to-cover in one sitting.

A must-read, A Grain of Hope deserves a wide audience, especially given recent world events. You don’t want to miss this one! Grab your copy here.

A Grain of Hope is Melissa Cole’s first historical fiction title.  Can’t wait for the next one!

 

Our Rating: 5.0