DEBUT SPOTLIGHT: Erin Litteken
When Erin Litteken began researching and writing THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV in 2012, she had no idea it would one day be published, much less that its release would coincide with Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine. As the granddaughter of a Ukrainian refugee from WW2, she held a deep interest in Ukraine’s history, especially the history surrounding the Holodomor: Stalin’s man-made famine that claimed the lives of millions of Ukrainian citizens. I had the honor of reading and endorsing The Memory Keeper of Kyiv, and I was absolutely riveted by Erin’s brave and resilient characters, her meticulous research, and her ability to evoke the complex emotions of a people under siege. THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV is a compelling story rooted in the past that will resonate with the modern reader.
THE FULL SYNOPSIS
In the 1930s, Stalin’s activists marched through the Soviet Union, espousing the greatness of collective farming. It was the first step in creating a man-made famine that, in Ukraine, stole almost 4 million lives. Inspired by the history the world forgot, and the Russian government denies, Erin Litteken reimagines their story.
In 1929, Katya is 16 years old, surrounded by family and in love with the boy next door. When Stalin’s activists arrive in her village, it’s just a few, a little pressure to join the collective. But soon neighbors disappear, those who speak out are never seen again and every new day is uncertain.
Resistance has a price, and as desperate hunger grips the countryside, survival seems more a dream than a possibility. But, even in the darkest times, love beckons.
Seventy years later, a young widow discovers her grandmother’s journal, one that will reveal the long-buried secrets of her family’s haunted past.
This is a story of the resilience of the human spirit, the love that sees us through our darkest hours and the true horror of what happened during the Holodomor.
“A powerfully moving debut . . . Ukraine’s tragic history painfully echoes its current crisis, and on every page the Ukrainian spirit shines out, unbowed, unbent and unbroken. This is a compelling, timely read.” Kate Quinn, author of The Rose Code
THE INTERVIEW
Paulette: Hi, Erin! Thanks so much for joining me during your very busy, and successful, launch week. Congratulations! Can you tell readers a little more about THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV and what inspired you to write it?
Erin: The Memory Keeper of Kyiv tells the story of Katya, a young woman forced to make heartbreaking choices in order to survive the Holodomor–Stalin’s forced famine that killed an estimated four million Ukrainians in the 1930’s. Decades later, Katya’s widowed granddaughter, Cassie, must uncover that hidden history in order to help them both find the closure they need to move past their grief and embrace their future.
My inspiration all started with my Ukrainian great-grandmother, who lived with us when I was a child. The stories she told, the pictures on her wall, the mementos she had from her life in Ukraine all mesmerized me. As I got older, I began researching the history behind her stories, trying to fill in the blanks and answer the questions I was too young to realize I should have asked her before she died.
I’d always toyed with the idea of writing a novel inspired by these family stories, but the further back I researched into Ukraine’s history, the more I learned about the Holodomor. I quickly realized I wanted to write at least two books about Ukraine. The first would focus on a fictional family experiencing the Holodomor and the next would pull more direct inspiration from my family’s journey from Ukraine to America.
Paulette: I think your great-grandmother would be very proud of what you’ve created. Katya’s timeline in the 1930s was incredibly fascinating and emotional, and Cassie’s modern-day story resonated with me on a more personal level. You did a beautiful job of blending and connecting the two timelines. You explore many themes in this book: grief and loss, strong family bonds, and the sacrifices people will make for those they love. There are some heart-wrenching moments, but also plenty of joy and an overall hopeful tone to your novel. What are some of your favorite themes to explore in your work?
Erin: One of my favorite themes, in both literature and life, is exploring how the past affects our future, especially within families. The importance of preserving family stories, the ongoing emotional tolls of past experiences and traumas, and the connections that tie people together through generations has always fascinated me. There’s so much to be gained, even by seemingly random occurrences.
For example, my mom shared a story with me about how my great-grandmother used to give money to any police fundraising telemarketer that called her house. When my mom told her she didn’t have to do that, my great-grandmother didn’t believe her. She was truly worried that if she didn’t, her name would get put on a list or they would come arrest her in the night. Her experiences living under the oppressive Soviet regime impacted her so deeply that her fear still lingered, decades later. I recreated that scene in The Memory Keeper of Kyiv because there’s so much insight and empathy to be gained by recognizing what went on before, both good and bad. I think historical fiction is an excellent vehicle to raise that awareness.
Paulette: Absolutely. I think that’s one of the reasons your book is so affecting—that personal connection to the events you’re writing about shows. My dad was a WW2 vet who survived war and the Great Depression. A lot of his quirks and idiosyncrasies make sense, in light of what he witnessed during his lifetime. Many of his personal stories have made it into my next novel, and they hold deeper meaning to me because I know he actually experienced them. Research can uncover many unexpected gems, but there’s nothing like hearing first-hand, eyewitness accounts of what it was truly like to live the events you are writing about as an author. Even with dementia, my dad’s long-term memory was excellent, and I am glad we had those conversations about the Depression before he died.
Can you share a little more about your writing process and what it was like to write The Memory Keeper of Kyiv on a craft level?
Erin: I pantsed this book initially–a big, messy, ugly draft that I worked on intermittently for years. It wasn’t until I connected with a developmental editor, Jeni Chappelle, and she suggested I use a reverse outline to help with pacing issues that I really deconstructed and rebuilt the novel to make it stronger.
With that in mind, I tried loosely outlining my WIP as I researched, and it’s been a huge help. Having a rough idea of when the pivotal scenes happen and what they are made drafting less daunting to me, but it’s very easy for me to get sucked into the research and spend far too much time exploring all the interesting bits of history I come across and not enough time writing. That’s a balance I’m still working on!
Paulette: Jeni is such a phenomenal editor! It really does help to have experienced, outside eyes when you need to completely deconstruct and rewrite your novel. A reverse outline is a useful tool that I’ve used as well. It can really help you see where those plot beats should fall, in hindsight.
You teased earlier that there might be a follow-up to THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV. Anything you can share about your future projects?
Erin: My second novel is also set in Ukraine to start and will follow one family’s journey through some of the atrocities that happened there during WW2. I’ll be using a lot of my family’s stories as inspiration, as my grandfather and his parents actually fled Ukraine during the war and spent years in the Displaced Persons camps before coming to America. It’s not a sequel exactly, and I can’t give too much away, but there may be a storyline involving character or two from The Memory Keeper of Kyiv!
Paulette: What a rich family history you have to mine ideas from! I’m excited to see which characters you bring back for your next book. Now, for one of my favorite questions: What are you reading right now?
Erin: I’m currently listening to Adriana Trigiani’s The Good Left Undone, which is phenomenal. As you can imagine, I always adore a good multi-generational historical fiction family story. Her world building, the emotion and personality she infuses into her characters, and the intricate way she weaves so many POVs into the storyline are all remarkable. I’m going to buy a physical copy of it as well, so I can look at it and study her mastery of the craft. I’m enjoying it so much I just downloaded Big Stone Gap, one of her earlier novels, to read on my kindle. A few other recent books I’ve recently enjoyed and highly recommend are Amanda McCrina’s The Silent Unseen, Kimberly Brock’s The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare, and Kate Quinn’s The Diamond Eye.
Paulette: I love listening to audiobooks and then going back later to read the novel in physical form. I think both mediums add so much richness to the story. We share many of the same books on our TBR lists! We’ll have to compare notes later.
In closing, is there anything surprising or unexpected about your writing career you’d like to share?
Erin: Well, I never expected my debut about a past assault on Ukraine would release alongside another attack from Moscow. I started writing this book in 2012, even before Russia invaded Crimea, and it’s been a very long road to publication. So, to see my novel come out into the world during this war, after all these years of working on it, is surreal.
On a different note, I would have to say the interest from foreign countries has been astounding. Translation sales weren’t on my radar at all, but as of now, The Memory Keeper of Kyiv will be published in over a dozen different languages.
Paulette: You just never really know where things might lead when you first start working on a project. There are truly so many surprises on this journey. I’m so glad your career is off to a successful start, Erin, and I’m excited to see what happens for you next! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me!
You can request THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV wherever books are sold, or order it online from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Erin’s book will be donated to DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Erin Litteken is a debut novelist with a degree in history and a passion for research. At a young age, she was enthralled by stories of her family’s harrowing experiences in Ukraine before, during and after World War II. She lives outside St. Louis with her husband, two children, and a random assortment of pets. When she's not writing, she loves curling up with a good book and spending time with her family. You can connect with her at www.erinlitteken.com or on Twitter and Instagram