Genre
Historical Fiction
Setting and Context
The story takes place in Soviet Ukraine in the early 1930s. It is also set in the present day during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Narrator and Point of View
It utilizes a multi-perspective narrative with alternating points of view of Matthew, Mila, and Helen.
Tone and Mood
The tone is melancholic and empathetic. The mood is tragic and heartrending.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists are Matthew, Mila, and Helen. The antagonists are the Stalin's regime during the Holodomor and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Major Conflict
The major conflict centers around Matthew's discovery of their family history related to the Holodomor. This event was a devastating Ukrainian famine caused by Stalin's policies in the 1930s. Also, Matthew unravels this chapter of his family's past during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Climax
The climax occurs when GG reveals to Mathew that she is not Nadiya but Mila.
Foreshadowing
When Helen hands a giant bouquet of red roses to Mila, who is assumed to be Nadiya, it foreshadows the mistaken identity that will be central to the story.
Understatement
Irina’s phrase "I wouldn’t get too comfortable" understates the harsh living conditions and lack of blankets in the barracks.
Allusions
The narrative alludes to the Stalin regime and the Holomodor that took the lives of many Ukrainians.
Imagery
The image of the canteen, the drab yellow walls, and the poster of Stalin with the title "The captain of the Soviet Union leads us from victory to victory" portrays the regime's propaganda and the environment of the Soviet-run facilities.
Paradox
The paradox lies in Mila’s dual identity as she is impersonating Nadiya. It extends to the notion of Mila being "home" while feeling like a stranger.
Parallelism
Matthew grappling with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic mirrors Nadiya's struggle to survive the Holodomor.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Stalin's regime is personified in the narrative.
