Ashes of Our Fathers: Inside the Fall of Nagorno-Karabakh

by Gabriel Gavin

On 19 September 2023, war broke out once again in Nagorno-Karabakh, a tiny breakaway state nestled in the mountains at the very edge of Europe. 

For three decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, this battle-scarred geopolitical hotspot had been fought over in a bloody standoff that left tens of thousands dead and as many as a million people homeless. This time, though, things were different. Within 24 hours, Armenian forces surrendered in the face of an overwhelming Azerbaijani offensive, as Russian peacekeepers abandoned their positions—and the entire local population packed their bags to flee. Through the eyes of ordinary Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Gabriel Gavin chronicles how Nagorno-Karabakh went from an ancient home shared by both peoples to a land of empty houses and untended graves, as the world looked on. 

Ashes of Our Fathers offers unprecedented insight not only into a simmering ethnic conflict inside the Kremlin’s self-declared sphere of influence, but into the lives, loyalties and national ideas of the people caught up in the chaos; and into the decisions, from Yerevan and Baku to Moscow and Washington to Tel Aviv and Tehran, that led directly to one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the 2020s.

Genres: Nonfiction

381 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Claire Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Really clear and accessible discussion of a complex conflict and its shifting alliances.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashes of our Fathers is an insightful, accessible and engaging look at a devastating humanitarian crisis, it had me hooked until the very last page. By telling the history of the conflict through personal stories, conversations and interviews, and weaving these together with insightful knowledge on a complex geopolitical situation, a tragic but vivid picture was painted of a region that has been overlooked time and time again. It flowed effortlessly and not only did I learn a lot, but I felt deeply for all the people who have had their lives utterly destroyed. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about not just the region, but the way international politics operates and what this means for ordinary people.

[Heffalump123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thorough account of the conflict organized in a way I found easy to comprehend while having very limited knowledge from the get-go.

[Ondra Soukup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written account of events in last five years around Nagorno-Karabakh by long time observer of region. Heartbreaking personal accounts from the ground along with wider cultural, historical and political context. For me personally is most valuable part about wider diplomatic context, role of Turkey, Iran and Izrael.

[Mariam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book captures a tragedy that much of the world has chosen to forget. Gavin's embedded journalism is unflinching and immediate, documenting the final collapse of Armenian presence in N. Karabakh.

His treatment of the historical context is thorough and balanced. The book's greatest strength lies in its granular detail: the texture of fear, displacement, and loss that statistics cannot convey. The chapter on the final exodus was particularly emotional to read. His criticism of both governments' handling of these events is fair, even when readers might disagree with particular perspectives presented. Throughout, Gavin illuminates a timeless truth: politicians play at war while ordinary people bear the suffering.

This book took me a long time read. For Armenian readers like myself, this will be a difficult companion that documents not just political failure but the severing of deep ancestral ties. Yet there's something valuable in having these events recorded by an impartial journalist who worked to get as close as possible to the unfolding crisis. In a world increasingly indifferent to distant suffering, this book stands as both witness and warning: a reminder that some stories demand to be told and remembered.

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“ To every man upon this earth / Death cometh soon or late. / And how can man die better / Than facing fearful odds, / For the ashes of his fathers, / And the temples of his
Gods.''