'What an extraordinary spectacular book! As long as there are women like Mykytenko in the
world human society will be okay. The combination of courage and love in a single person is an
ancient story and one that we must hear over and over again to know that it's possible. And
Marlowe's prose is so powerful and compelling that I was at a loss as to when to put the book
down and do something else for a while. It may well be one of the best and most important books
to come out of this brutal war that Russia has inflicted on Ukraine.' Sebastian Junger author
of In My Time of Dying 'This is an account of the Ukrainian soul. If you want to know who we
are and why we fight if you want to understand the heart of this conflict from the experience
of a woman who has seen more than you will ever know please read this book. It touched me
deeply. I recognized the events and familiar places but most of all I recognized Yulia
Mykytenko. I knew her father and have followed her destiny without thinking that the story of
her struggle would be turned into such a powerful book about this strong and wilful female
soldier. The roots of Ukrainian defiance are clearly visible in this down-to-earth but moving
story.' Andrey Kurkov winner of the Prix Médicis and author of Death and the Penguin 'This
book is an extraordinary act of moral courage. It feels like it was created not so much by a
writer and indeed her subject as by the absolutely necessary spirit of our times. It is a
book that is prepared to reach the depths of despair and yet somehow to cleave open the
darkness too. A song about our broken times it reveals the human strands that hold us together
against the odds.' Colum McCann author of Let the Great World Spin
