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    Calling Ukraine: A Novel
    Calling Ukraine: A Novel
    Calling Ukraine: A Novel
    Ebook251 pages3 hours

    Calling Ukraine: A Novel

    By Johannes Lichtman

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    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateApr 11, 2023
    ISBN9781982156824
    Author

    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. 

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    • 4/5
      The world has learned a lot about Ukrainians following Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of their country in 2022. Their response has shown them to be a proud, strong, and resilient people. The word Ukraine means “borderland”, and its strategic location between powerful countries has indeed led to repeated invasions. When foreigners praise their land, Ukrainians respond ironically. “You should meet the neighbors.” As this joke implies, Ukrainians also have a good sense of humor. After all, they elected a comedian as their leader, and he turned out to be anything but a joke.Lichtman sets his novel not in the tumultuous Ukraine of 2022 but in the more sedate year of 2018. This was a heady time because the country had recently staged a successful revolution that resulted in the expulsion of their corrupt president. Lichtman’s nuanced characterizations shrewdly capture some Ukrainian traits that only became more evident in 2022. They have a powerful work ethic, pride in their country, and are willing cooperators. The protagonist/narrator is John Turner, a 30-year-old failed journalist whose former college roommate talks him into taking a job managing a call center in Lutsk. John’s father has recently passed away and his romantic life is on the skids. So, he sees the job offer as a chance for adventure, a break from his romantic entanglement and an opportunity to gather material that may revive is journalism career. Unfortunately, John knows nothing about Ukraine—its language and culture—or managing people. Thus, he is comically ill equipped for this job. He simplistically diagnoses the center’s problem as language. Its five employees are great with a stilted form of English, but they fail miserably at imitating American small talk on the phone. Lichtman shrewdly uses John’s attitude toward his employees as one example of American ugliness. Despite being goodhearted, he can be brash and condescending. Notwithstanding his flaws, John is sensitive to other cross-cultural shortcomings of Americans. He tends to downplay his wealth relative to the typical Ukrainian. Also, he decides to remain celibate during his stay as a response to the unappealing image of all the American men traveling to Ukraine to hook up with beautiful women. Likewise, he shuns an American Peace Corp volunteer because she talks too loud in public. We are hopeful that American support for the Ukrainian cause may have temporarily put some of these stereotypes to rest.John’s journey turns dark when he overhears a clear case of severe spousal abuse coming from an adjoining flat. He is shocked to discover that the victim is Natalia, an attractive woman who works at the call center. After discovering that Ukrainian police tend to ignore this type of behavior, John decides to take matters into his own hands with disastrous consequences. Lichtman reveals this misadventure with a delicious use of foreshadowing, plot twists and cultural irony that can only be fully appreciated by reading the novel.Lichtman treats his clueless, well-meaning expat narrator with a light and satirical touch. Regrettably, most of the call center’s employees are stereotypes. However, two chapters, not narrated by John, give a more nuanced view of Ukrainians. Anatoly, Natalia’s abusive husband, also is a failed journalist. He struggles with chronic back pain and low self-esteem while working as a water delivery man. Natalia shows remarkable courage with her marital problems and by urging John to return to America without her. One can only speculate whether her decision was wise considering subsequent events in Ukraine. Using healthy doses of dark humor and irony, Lichtman explores the pivotal role that language plays in identity and culture in this intriguing novel.

    Book preview

    Calling Ukraine - Johannes Lichtman

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