Katya

“Sandra Birdsell weaves a place as important as any in our literature… . [She] illuminates, with an artistic glow of the first rank, the intimate certainty that evil will not dominate kindness, truth, or love.”

“In this compelling, beautifully descriptive novel, nature is a vital allegory for beauty, accomplishment, unity, and purpose; conversely, in the hands of marauding usurpers, it becomes a metaphor for mayhem, devastation, and death.”

“Masterful… . Sandra Birdsell weaves historical fact and domestic detail into a meticulous portrait of a tightly knit community driven to the brink of existence. It’s impossible not to see Katya and her family in the faces of the fleeing refugees as world events once again sweep innocent people into a maelstrom.”

“When most of [Katya’s] family members and friends are murdered during the course of a brutal early-morning raid on the farm, she must learn some harsh lessons in survival to persevere in a world gone suddenly mad. This authentically detailed piece of historical fiction serves as an evocative reminder of a permanently vanished place, time, and way of life.”

“A meticulous portrait of a young girl … Sandra Birdsell’s poetic prose and her strong sense of place elevate Katya’s experiences from the story of a closed society to that of a microcosm of the refugee experience.”