Calling Ukraine: A Novel

Written by Johannes Lichtman

Narrated by Dan Bittner

National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and author of Such Good Work Johannes Lichtman returns with a novel that is strikingly relevant to our times—about an American who takes a job in Ukraine in 2018, only to find that his struggle to understand the customs and culture is eclipsed by a romantic entanglement with deadly consequences.

Shortly after his thirtieth birthday, John Turner receives a call from an old college friend who makes him an odd job offer: move to Ukraine to teach customer service agents at a start-up how to sound American. John’s never been to Ukraine, doesn’t speak Ukrainian, and is supposed to be a journalist, not a consultant. But having just gone through a breakup and still grieving his father’s death, it might just be the new start he’s been looking for.

In Ukraine, John understands very little—the language and social customs are impenetrable to him. At work, his employees are fluent in English but have difficulty grasping the concept of “small talk.” And although he told himself not to get romantically involved while abroad, he can’t help but be increasingly drawn to one of his colleagues.

Most distressing, however, is the fact that John can hear, through their shared wall, his neighbor beating his wife. Desperate to help, John offers the neighbor 100,000 hryvnias to stop. It’s a plan born out of the best intentions, but one that has disastrous repercussions that no amount of money or altruism can solve.

“[A] biting comedy” (Vanity Fair) that calls to mind Garth Greenwell’s What Belongs to You, Calling Ukraine reimagines the American-abroad novel. Moving effortlessly between the comic and the tragic, Johannes Lichtman deploys his signature wry humor and startling moral insight to illuminate the inevitable complexities of doing right by others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Apr 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797149981

Johannes Lichtman

Johannes Lichtman’s debut novel,?Such Good Work, was chosen as a?5 Under 35 honoree by the National Book Foundation.?His work has appeared in?Tin House,?The Sun,?Travel + Leisure,?Los Angeles Review of Books,?Oxford American, and elsewhere.?He lives in Washington, DC. 

Reviews for Calling Ukraine

[Laura Aguirre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book started as a memorabilia of an expat. It was so interesting to know so many politic facts, as well as, cultural. It had a warm feeling of friendship between foreigners despite all the solitude.
It had a surprising twist though as the hopeful new beginning of an expat who sought a better future and a love life became a homicide.
It might idealize certain things since there is a lot of romance involve in a crime, but the truth is you never can see a surprise coming in a love triangle of domestic abuse.
Starts slow but it is indeed worth the read..

[Mark Barnes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An interesting story that reveals an insight into the perspective of life in Ukraine through a narrative that could have convincingly been a true tale.