For such a small book, The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister pulls at your heartstrings at how heart-breaking, moving and powerful Olesya Khromeychuk writes for her brother, Volodymyr, whom she lost in the Russo-Ukraine War in 2017. Written matter-of-factly while also imbuing it with the emotion of a grieving family member trying to process their grief.

The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister was a fascinating read but something hard to review as how can you review grief in a literary way? I highly recommend KKhromeychuk's non-fiction novella if you want another perspective on grief and processing it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Octopus Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Heart breaking, moving and powerful. This novel tells the story of Olesya Khromeychuk's brother, Volodymyr, who died on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, fighting the war long before it made its way to Western media. While my knowledge of the Ukrainian war is slim, mainly though Western media's reporting, this book fills in the gaps and informs the reader of the brutality of the fighting. I did not know that the war had been going on for as long as it has, and just how little the rest of the world seems to report on Ukraine.

Khromeychuk's way of writing was both clinical and emotional. She recounts some memories with cutting edge precision and memory, almost as if she is reciting it from a textbook. But then there are other parts that are so difficult to read, and clearly difficult for her to remember, that reminds the reader of the unstoppable wave that is grief, especially grief in the face of war.

I'm struggling to come up with words to 'review' this book, because it's one of those that I don't think should be reviewed in the typical literary sense. It's an honest look into war, loss, pride and patriotism for a country that has been through so much. I appreciate Khromeychuk sharing her family's story with the world, and her strength to tell her brother's life, and death. Profound, a book that everyone should read.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Octopus publishing for granting me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Death of a Soldier Told by his Sister packs a powerful punch for such a short book. Olesya writes beautifully of her love for her family and country. It is an evocative account of the Russian/Ukrainian war, told from one family's perspective. By writing in this way, Khromeychuk personalizes the people behind the statistics and headlines of the war reportage. She does this in a very humane and compassionate way. It is a crucial commentary on Putin's agenda against Ukraine and the West's reaction to the invasion. Well worth reading.

A beautifully written heartbreaking account of the reality of war, seen through the eyes of the sister of a soldier who dies on the frontline of the Ukraine-Russia war. Before the major escalation of 2022, Russia and Ukraine had been at war since 2014 over disputed regions such as the Donbas and Crimea. During this phase of the war, Olesya Khromeychuk's beloved brother Volodya was killed on the frontline in 2017.
The futility of war is stark in Khromeychuk's account - her brother was engaged in reconnaissance standing in a trench and trying to work out where the enemy shelling was coming from when he was hit - basically doing the work of a drone - something that Ukraine now has many more of since resources started flooding into the country in 2022.
This book manages to be so much - a chronicle of the reality of war, a meditation on grief and loss, and an exploration of memory and love. Hugely recommended.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. The problem I encountered was that it does not work well with the Netgalley app, it is not available in E-book format on the Kindle app, I would struggle to use this day-to-day in the format it is in, which is unfortunate as the content appeals to me.

This had me SOBBING in public. It is so full of raw, honest emotion that can be felt in every sentence. I love the way the writer describes the pain and vulnerability caused by grief, but also her journey through the 'what happened'. I feel the way the story is organised into snapshots, memories or tales brings the whole book together.

Found this book sad and reflective about a soldier death in the earlier Ukraine war and has been updated to incorporate the recent Russian invasion 2022 of Ukraine. its written with lost and love of a person and also of her nation too.

Did you ever watch the news? Of the Ukraine war? I did. I saw how people were buried in masses, and by people I meant those of all ages, even children and the old.
You know I always wondered what led to the war in the first place. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it started since 2017. Well actually, it started way before then.

Although Olesya Khromeychuk's "The story a dead brother told by his sister" pens the smell of fear, grief, loss, and eternal pain of herself and family, you can see the shadows of a 40 million victims of the war.
It also speak of oneness of Ukrainians in times of war, be it in hatred, in grieving the dead and loss of their homes.
I really enjoyed every moment of the book, though it was about grief and loss, and I shed tears in interval, it was penned in such a way that you will want to read from beginning till end in one sitting.
Would you be willing to have a glimpse into the life of one of the numbers of the casualties of war?
This book is one of such. I hope you'll anticipate it and read it. It's an eye opener.
It calls us to arms(you don't have to be at the war front) when our brothers' are at war; for staying back to watch the show is the beginning of doom for mankind. After all, the hate you give can only be reciprocated as such, in many cases.