Kalyna's Song

by Lisa Grekul

Growing up in the small northern Alberta community of St. Paul, Colleen Lutzak has both positives and negatives to deal with—she has an abundance of musical talent, excellent grades in school, and a close extended family. On the other hand, she has a melodramatic mother, a nemesis named Carla Senko who somehow manages to screw up every triumph Colleen closes in on, and a cousin named Kalyna. Kalyna is Colleen's alter ego—they have the same name in different languages—and Kalyna is a mystery. A grown woman who once had a family, Kalyna talks and acts like a child. She loves Colleen's music more than anything in the world, and brings out every protective instinct her young cousin has. Colleen vigorously practices her youthful idealism as well as her talent. This mindset means life's lessons will be particularly hard on her. Her beloved music teacher, who shared and supported her pride in her Ukrainian heritage, suddenly dies. Colleen fails miserably in her first attempt at university in Edmonton. She is so determined to get away from all the "disappointments" of home that she registers to attend the United World College campus in Swaziland for a year. Obviously, Swaziland is an utterly foreign experience. Colleen meets young women from truly dire political and social circumstances all over the world. She realizes how sheltered her life in Canada has been. Her sense of identity and self-worth is challenged by her foreign surroundings, her homesickness, the suicide of her closest friend. And the sudden death of Kalyna. This final tragedy forces Colleen to face adult decisions about the purpose to which she should devote her life and her talent.

Genres: Canada, Ukraine, Fiction, Music

464 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2003

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Lisa Grekul's 2003 young adult novel Kalyna's Song main protagonist, first person narrator and talented second-generation Ukrainian Canadian (but specifically Albertan) teenaged singer Colleen Lutzak is trying to figure out where she fits in, where she belongs, as Colleen (and actually like many children of immigrants) does not feel either fully Ukrainian or fully Canadian. And in Kalnya's Song Grekul's text and Colleen's narration therefore and hugely delightfully for me show how she, how Colleen Lutzak straddles both worlds also to speak, with her grandparents and her parents all speaking fluent Ukrainian, albeit Colleen and her siblings do not. Sure, Colleen takes Ukrainian language classes at school and also participates in Ukrainian dancing on weekends, but this she actually tries to keep secret from her Anglophone friends (and that Colleen Lutzak throughout Kalyna's Song feels pretty hugely out of place amongst both the second-generation kids her age who are fluent in Ukrainian and participate fully in the Ukrainian Canadian community and equally so in the larger English speaking community and equally tends to believe that both groups look down on her, judge and reject Colleen for social, cultural and ethnic reasons).

And oh boy, does the above ever personally ring totally true, since I also do not really consider myself as being either German or Canadian but instead kind of representing a weirdly warped mixture of both who does not really fully belong anywhere but at the same time also sort of belongs everywhere (and is as such also totally spread much too thinly as well and with no real and true homeland as well). So while I do agree to a point with those reviewers who consider that Colleen Lutzak as a character is throughout Kalyna's Song not always entirely likeable and sometimes a bit self-involved and self-indulgent, well, I do readily admit that how Grekul depicts and has Colleen feel and talk in Kalyna's Song, this totally makes her a kindred spirit for me so to speak, that what makes Colleen seem a bit selfish also always feels hugely hugely relatable and approachable. And yes indeed, when in Kalyna's Song, Colleen thinks she does not fit in and kind of wrongfully as it turns out assumes that both the Ukrainian community and standard White Anglo Saxon Protestant Canadians of and in Alberta reject and look down on her (see above), I totally and majorly do understand this and indeed felt pretty much exactly the same as a teenager (when I was Colleen's age) regarding my German and Canadian heritage, so I guess when I am kind of being critical of Collen Lutzak in Kalyna's Song I am also perhaps being a trifle critical of myself, but I that I also stand by me and I also thus totally stand by Colleen as well.

Now the Kalyna in Kalyna's Song is the Ukrainian translation of Colleen but is equally the name (and of course also the identity) of a beloved and challenged older relative who is in many ways kind of Colleen Lutzak's alter-ego and that her often rather complex relationship with her cousin is also to be seen as a bit of a textual and spiritual metaphor for Colleen's own confused ideas regarding her own cultural identity (but yes, I do have some minor issues with Kalyna's presence and that how Lisa Grekul presents Kalyna through Colleen's narration feels occasionally just a bit artificial and sometimes thus drags Kalyna's Song down a bit, but really just a very little bit). And finally just to say that at over four-hundred pages in length, Kalyna's Song is definitely pretty lengthy, but that the first person perspective and voice Grekul uses is definitely totally, is majorly appealing (and also makes Colleen Luzak even more relatable and talking totally from my soul and from my heart), so that I (as my inner and confused about my ethnic identity German Canadian teenager) totally textually devouring Kalyna's Song and finishing the book in less than one day (as well as now desperately wanting and also kind of needing a paper copy of Kalyna's Song), yes indeed, this and how thematically and contents wise Kalyna's Song is so totally up my proverbial reading alley so to speak, that even my above mentioned mild annoyances regarding Colleen Lutzak's recently deceased cousin Kalyna being a metaphor or a symbol do not really matter one bit, and that instead of the four stars I was originally considering for Kalyna's Song my rating will definitely be five stars (and that I also just totally adore all of the Ukrainian cultural details Lisa Grekul textually features and presents and that Kalyna's Song has not only been emotionally rich, hugely satisfying but also nicely and engagingly enlightening regarding Ukrainian and Ukrainian Canadian traditions and culture).

[Mateusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kalyna's Song" is captivating, and I enjoyed reading it. I wish Grekul had written a YA novel exploring the relationship between Sister Maria and Collen a bit more, though. Still, "Kalyna's Song" is worth recommending, and I will definitely ask my students to read and analyze excerpts from it.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay.

I think I've read this book three times in my life so far. I tend to come back to it when I have a lot of time. I haven't read this book in several years, so it was nice to revisit after a while.

It's a shame that it was published as it is, because the book really needed another proofread. I found typos - many of them.

I also didn't like the way the author referred to the Aboriginal Peoples as "Natives" and "Indians". See page 337 for example, about the African music students being "civilized". Cringe-worthy.

I was suprised, re-reading the book, how much anger Colleen has bottled up inside of her. There are two instances where she imagines beating up Carla Senko. She's hot-headed, impulsive and maybe even a little arrogant.

Her anger stems mostly from: (1) how people within her culture treat her and; (2) how she is treated outside of her culture. Her blended identities make her feel like an outsider almost everywhere she goes.

My favourite parts in this book have always been the chapters that describe her piano lessons with Sister Maria. I think that is why I always return to this book, despite the poor editing, historical inaccuracy and sloppy wording at times. I loved the connection to the RCM, and how Sister Maria opened up the world to Colleen. I can really see the relationship between teacher and student.

I felt that the deaths of Rosa and Kalyna towards the end were rushed. We needed more time to process Kalyna's death especially.

[Lianne]

This book was gift from a Canadian friend who knows I like to keep up with new Canadian authors.
Lisa Grekul is of Ukrainian descent and the underlying theme of the story is her protagonist's coming to terms with her own culture. As a child in rural Alberta Colleen, like many Ukrainian children of the second generation of immigration, is deeply involved in Ukrainian dance competitions that take place on the prairies. After a defeat at a major cultural festival,she quits dancing and becomes serious about piano lessons. Her teacher, Sister Maria, is a Ukrainian nun in a nearby French convent. She challenges Colleen to truly express her feelings in her playing. Because Colleen begins to feel alienated from her rural high school world, she applies to attend an exchange program in Swaziland. This time in Africa ultimately changes her life and gives her an opportunity to expand her awareness of music,life, and culture. A friendship with a troubled student named Rosa forces Colleen to grow into compassion and self-understanding.The novel can be considered "young adult" with a dose of "chick lit." Told throughout from Colleen's point of view and in her voice, the story takes us part of the way through Colleen's growth and maturation. The "young adult" story told in an engaging style with humor and warmth.

[Lesley Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am currently reading.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like my life, very Ukrainian Canadian, very Alberta, very alright.