Sunflowers Beneath the Snow was written by Teri M. Brown and published by Atmosphere Press in 2022. You can purchase it on Amazon/Kindle and you can visit the author on Amazon and on social media.
Three generations of women take on surviving in a country that they are devoted to- even if the odds are strongly stacked against them.
It starts in 1973. A man places a gun to his own head. He contemplates his death as the result of being a spy for Ukraine and against the brutal regime of the USSR. He was forced to desert his family and now they will have to endure without him. They also had to come to grips with a narrative told to them about his demise that increases their anguish and turns them off to a man they once loved. Ivanna must now find a way to survive in the impoverished Soviet country of Ukraine and she must do it for herself and her young daughter Yevtsye. During the years that follow, she watches her daughter grow into a woman, who develops her own political, religious and societal opinions. Yevtsye's point of view differs greatly with that of her mother, but of course love remains but so do the conflicts. While all this threatens to tear their family apart, Ukraine is on the verge of collapse, and everyone involved is thrusted into the eventual consequences of war. As Ivanna ages, still haunted by the memories of her late husband, she soon becomes a grandmother to Ionna, who is central to her life. Three generations of women take on surviving in a country that they are devoted to- even if the odds are strongly stacked against them. Born of tenacity and determination, they don't give up. Being a timely piece of writing, with the atrocity of war now hammering Ukraine; I was entertained by the story, and I learned much about the people of Ukraine. I could not put it down and finished it in record time. This story pulled me in and wouldn't let go. It was riveting and the writing was masterful. Teri Brown may be floating in the clouds after reading all of these five- star reviews but she'll need some heavy shoes to keep her at the keyboard- because she has the stuff of a best-selling author. This is a top shelf book and a must read!
I give Sunflowers Beneath the Snow 5 out of 5 stars.
Teri M. Brown is a scheduled guest on The Writers Lounge Blog Talk Radio Show #113 on April 18, 2022