Seven Million Sunflowers

by Malcolm Duffy

Escaping war is only half the battle as the Kovalenko family swap Ukrainian dangers for life with a British family.15-year-old Kateryno and her family live in Kharkiv. Their lives are shattered when on February 24th 2022 the Russian army invades. Their apartment block is struck by a missile. After weeks living in their basement, Kateryno, her mother, and brother, decide to leave, joining seven million Ukrainian refugees. They come to England and meet their host family, the Hawkins. But their new beginning brings a whole new set of problems.

Genres: Young Adult, War

320 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2024

About the author

Malcolm Duffy was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Having spent many years as a successful advertising copywriter he decided it was time to write something that didn't have a pack-shot and logo.

The idea for his debut novel came when he was working as Creative Director at Comic Relief. He visited a project that helped women and children who'd suffered as a result of domestic violence. The idea for Me Mam. Me Dad. Me was born. But the book doesn't just focus on the heavy issue of domestic abuse. The story is about a boy's love for his mam. A mam's love for her son. And a dad's love for his boy.

Reviews

[Emily Blunden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very moving story from the perspective of a girl whose family have been forced to become refugees in England due to the war in Ukraine. Suitable for age 11/12 upwards,

[Jennifer Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope one day soon, Malcolm Duffy will write a sequel, and for it to have a happy ending.

Slava Ukraini!
Glory to Ukraine!

[Sheereen Iqbal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ending. This book put me through so many emotions throughout the day. I felt like throwing the book at one point, crying at another and squealing at the next. This book is just... idk how to describe it but I genuinely enjoyed it sm. I love how the story was set, not like war back in the 90s but recent events. I loved Georgia's personality and how she tried to use 'like' in every sentence which was so funny. Kat and Felix were so cute at one point when he did mess it up and they had to split apart but it made sense. The fact that Marko just jumped onto Felix like he acts as if it's reasonable which it isn't but at the same time I know how he feels. I mean it did get Felix and Kat closer in the end. I feel like the Hawkins family could've done sm better, like they had to go through nothing except accommodate them and then get into a petty argument. That part just annoyed me sm. I was at the edge of my seat hoping Tato would survive and he did thank god. I love Yulia and the fact that she didn't understand English so Kat had to translate but at the serious moments she would laugh.😆 I'm glad Kat is getting the help. I can see why this book was titled Seven Million Sunflowers, it just makes so much sense💗❤️. Malcolm has such a creative mind and I'll always and forever cherish this book💕💕.

[J.F. Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really couldn't put this down once I'd started it and the characters have stayed with me during the week since I finished it. No easy answers or manufactured happy endings for this situation and some powerfully descriptive writing which brings home the horrors of living in a war torn country - and the challenges of moving away from it. Highly recommended.

[Sifa Poulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

SEVEN MILLION SUNFLOWERS is a heartfelt, profound book based on the experiences of Ukrainian refugees in the UK, looking at the tensions the war and leaving home place on relationships and the relationships and tensions found in the UK.

This is a story all about characters and their relationships. Kat and her brother Marko. The Kovalenkos and their host family (who are generous until it impacts them directly and very unprepared to host a family who've been through traumatic events). Kat and a boy whose stepdad is Russian. It very much places all these people in a bottle together and shakes until they bubble over.

It's tautly written, using the sparsity of the writing to let the tension and emotions come across. It tackles topics such as PTSD and shines a light on the privilege we have here, in a country without a war raging around us.

This is such a minor thing, but this book is set in Kingston, the biggest "town" near me (in the confusing conurbation that is London.) The author is also from around here and it shows, with places like Riverside and Rotunda captured perfectly. It was just a fun little thing to discover and I could go "I know that place." It also helped me picture the settings as the author's style is to be light on description and focus on character instead.

This is one of those books I felt a little conflicted about. I am glad there is a contemporary YA book out there about the war, about coming to the UK and all the tensions it causes within families and with others, about PTSD. I know the author wrote this with the help of a family staying with him. However, there is a part of me that wishes this book had been written by a Ukrainian, that they had told their story themselves.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the 24th of February 2022, the lives of Katheryno, her family, and many other Ukrainians, take a drastic turn.

Inspired by the true events of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Seven Million Sunflowers follows 15 year-old Katheryno, her mum, and older brother, as they flee Ukraine to seek shelter in England while her father stays behind to fight in the army. Struggling to fit in to their new reality, Katheryno has to balance processing recent events and finding a new life away from the war.

This book does well in making the reader empathise with the struggles of our main character, walking the line of struggles caused by the war and struggles of a normal teenager. It did feel quite light given the circumstances though, so the reader is not to expect very heavy descriptions in this book.

Having followed the unfolding of events from the news, I was first intrigued by this book to read about the Ukrainian experience in fiction. The relationships of our main character with her family and others felt real, but without being too heart-wrenching. All in all, a good book for those interested in YA with inspiration on current events.

The formatting on Kindle is not optimal, but the reading experience on the Kindle app for mobile was good, so hopefully they can fix the former before release.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifteen-year-old Kat has to flee her home in Kharkiv when her apartment block block is bombed. Together with her mother and her seventeen-year old brother, Marko, they are hosted by a British family in the UK, while her father stays in Ukraine to fight. Even though they have escaped the war, Marko is angry and frustrated about not being able to fight, Kat still struggles with anxiety and nightmares, and they are both worried about their dad and other friends and family left behind. When Kat meets a boy she likes, she feel optimistic that things are improving, but her new relationship leads to more conflict and drama than she could have anticipated.

This book feels particularly close to home, as Kat's host family lives in Kingston upon Thames and we have several Ukrainian refugees at school. Although Malcom Duffy is not a refugee himself, he hosted three Ukrainian refugees and this book is strongly inspired and informed by the eighteen-year-old girl who stayed with his family. This is not a feel-good, romanticised story. In particular the friction between Kat's family and their host family was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to read, but I think these elements did make the book feel more authentic. A moving and empathy-inducing read with an important message.

[Shahid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven Million Sunflowers by Malcolm Duffy is a deeply affecting and timely young adult novel that explores the emotional aftermath of war through the eyes of 15-year-old Kateryno. Fleeing the devastation of Kharkiv following the 2022 Russian invasion, Kateryno’s journey to safety in England offers no easy resolution. Duffy masterfully portrays the inner struggles of displacement, identity, and trauma as Kateryno and her family face the unfamiliar dynamics of their British host household. The story is both intimate and politically resonant, drawing attention to the unseen battles refugees face after escaping conflict. Written with empathy and realism, this novel is an important, humanising look at the refugee experience, perfect for young adult readers who seek powerful stories rooted in real-world events.

[Emma Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book, because, although I’ve seen news about Ukraine I online frequently for almost 2 years, I really had no idea what it was like there. I have a better feel for the war after reading it, but if I had realized it was a young adult love story, I would not have chosen it. The description of the physical aspect of the romances didn’t go any further than holding hands, hugging and kissing, but I did not enjoy reading about people in their mid teens being so wrapped up with boyfriends and girlfriends. I did find it quite interesting to see Kat learning to deal with her PTSD and the whole family learning to live with the consequences of the war.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very honest book about the horrors of war told from the viewpoint of a young girl from Ukraine. Fleeing from the Russian troops, Kat and her mum and brother Marko have to make their way across Europe before they finally end up in the UK. How they cope with their new lives and the constant worry about their father, family and friends left behind makes for compelling reading.

[C P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly superb insight into the lives of seven million displaced Ukrainians through the eyes of a UK Family.
Compelling reading.

[Eli Crookston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that tells the incredible and heartbreaking story if a young Ukrainian girl and her family. It is raw and powerful

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest fictional exploration of what it means to be a displaced Ukrainian.

There is grief and hope.

4 and 1/2 stars

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I’m a 61 year old and found that this book is relevant to all ages. Once I started reading the book I couldn’t put it down. Would thoroughly recommend it.

[Teddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in one day. Love YA fiction. This book is for everyone.

[Míša · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in one sitting. Engaging. Sad.
But don’t really feel much having finished it.

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was born in the UK and whilst I have left it quite a few times to visit other countries and I have moved house a few times, it has always been by choice, never by necessity. I can empathize with those who have to flee from war zones, who have to leave the only home they have ever known and start a new life in a new country, but I cannot share in their experience. For this reason, given the opportunity, reading about this type of experience is important to me, to help me begin to develop an understanding of the experience of becoming a refugee and attempting to fit into a new culture. The war in the Ukraine is one of the most recent wars the world has faced, and it has displaced many people. Many have found themselves having to swap the dangers of the Ukraine with a new life, a new family, in the UK. Author Malcom Duffy is one of those who has hosted a refugee family and Seven Million Sunflowers is his gripping new drama depicting the experience.

Kateryno is 15. She and her family live in Kharkiv, a city in the Ukraine but on the morning of 24th February 2022 their lives changed dramatically and forever. On that morning the Russian army invaded Ukraine and the apartment block Kateryno and her family were living in was hit by a missile. The family moved to the basement for safety but after weeks of living there they made the decision to join seven million other Ukrainian refugees and leave the country. Arriving in England they meet their host family, the Hawkins who have a nice house on a quiet street – it appears to be the perfect place for them to recover but this is just the beginning of a new journey for them, and it is going to be one beset with problems. Just as she feels as though she is settling in, making friends, even finding a boyfriend her situation finds ways to catch up with her and she learns that there are layers to friendship, that not everyone is sympathetic and that there will be trouble and more battles to come. More importantly she knows that she must face what the future holds, be braver than she ever felt possible. A deeply moving, truthful and compelling story.

[Hateae Raherimann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but very sad