The Story of Us
This novel was previously published as Savaged Lands and has been re-issued under a new title. In 1941, Natasha Smirnov and her family are experiencing the hardships brought on by WWII. Dread is high as they hear news of Hitler’s approaching army across Ukraine. The Red Army has moved out and left Kiev defenseless as the Germans take over. Mark is a Hungarian soldier conscripted into the German army. When he witnesses a confrontation between Natasha, her grandmother, and a German officer, he comes to their defense by killing the officer. Natasha instantly falls in love with Mark. Kortchik portrays Mark as a hero, yet when the Nazis search for the killer of their fellow officer, he doesn’t step forward, so the wrong person pays for the crime. When the Smirnov family harbors a wounded Red Army soldier, Yuri, a love triangle is formed, and Natasha must choose between Mark and Yuri.
There are many conflicts in the story as townspeople struggle to find food, friends and neighbors disappear, and Germans requisition homes for their living quarters. But when Natasha and her sister worry over a new dress or makeup and argue over who will pour the tea, the reader is distracted from the serious event in history that the author is attempting to portray. This lackluster novel suffers from shallow characters, numerous inconsistencies, and inexperienced writing.
