The Days of Miracle and Wonder, Irene Zabytko

"abound[s] with the miraculous and unexpected" — Alison Anderson, author of The Summer Guest

In 1992, just after the fall of the Soviet Union, a Ukrainian-American woman travels to Ukraine and boards a bus on an unlikely pilgrimage. In a style reminiscent of THE CANTERBURY TALES, the passengers–a swimmer, an artist, an interrogator, an actor, and more–tell extraordinary stories of ordinary people caught between Soviet realities and newly independent dreams. Told with warmth, humor, and deep compassion, THE DAYS OF MIRACLE AND WONDER is a gripping and timely glimpse into the complexities of balancing political pressures, collective responsibilities, and individual happiness.

Irene Zabytko’s rich imagination takes us on a bus ride through the early days of Ukraine’s independence, together with a group of pilgrims from all walks of life. On the way they share their tales, full of violence and magic, tragedy and love, satire and absurdity. They share their experiences of Soviet dysfunction and repression, and the sudden hopes, dreams, and disappointments of their newly liberated country. But their tales abound with the miraculous and unexpected, as the author skillfully guides us along the way to an uncertain goal, in this humane and ultimately hopeful book.” — Alison Anderson, author of The Summer Guest

The Days of Miracle and Wonder is an ingenious and deliciously entertaining book with a rollicking cast of characters, ranging from cowboy to cosmonaut, artist to swimming champion, and rock star to ruthless interrogator for the prior regime. Their tales are clever, funny, heartbreaking, and beautifully written, and Zabytko is an immensely gifted storyteller. She is also a brilliant cultural historian. Through her characters’ stories, she reveals in striking detail the harsh reality of life in Ukraine over the past half century: the corruption and injustices of a totalitarian regime, the betrayal of hopes for freedom with independence in 1992, and, finally, the brutal invasion by Russia and the ensuing war. Zabytko is a magician in revealing this world so masterfully, with a book that is both profound, and also just plain fun to read. — Helen Fremont’s memoirs include the national bestseller After Long Silence, and Outside the Lines.