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One More Year
Every so often a new writer appears who is wiser than her years would suggest, whose flesh-and-blood characters embody more experience than a young writer could possibly know. Sana Krasikov is one of those writers. Her first published story appeared in the New Yorker, her second in The Atlantic Monthly’s fiction issue. One More Year is her debut collection, made up of stories of people who hold out hope, despite the odds, that life will be kind to them.
The characters who populate Krasikov’s stories are mostly women–some are new to America; some still live in the former Soviet Union, in Georgia or Russia; and some have returned to Russia to find a country they barely recognize and people they no longer understand. Mothers leave children behind; children abandon their parents. Almost all of them look to love to repair their lives, and when love isn’t really there, they attempt to make do with relationships that substitute for love.
Like Jhumpa Lahiri and ZZ Packer, two writers whose fully-realized characters drive their fiction, Sana Krasikov is an exhilarating talent whose first collection puts her on the map with today's most talented young authors.
The characters who populate Krasikov’s stories are mostly women–some are new to America; some still live in the former Soviet Union, in Georgia or Russia; and some have returned to Russia to find a country they barely recognize and people they no longer understand. Mothers leave children behind; children abandon their parents. Almost all of them look to love to repair their lives, and when love isn’t really there, they attempt to make do with relationships that substitute for love.
Like Jhumpa Lahiri and ZZ Packer, two writers whose fully-realized characters drive their fiction, Sana Krasikov is an exhilarating talent whose first collection puts her on the map with today's most talented young authors.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
38 people are currently reading
751 people want to read
About the author
Sana Krasikov
8 books163 followers Sana Krasikov was born in Ukraine and grew up in the former Soviet republic of Georgia before immigrating to New York. She has since lived in Moscow and, more recently, Nairobi.
Her debut collection ONE MORE YEAR went on to be translated into eleven languages and selected for the National Book Foundation's "5 under 35" Award. It won the 2009 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the New York Public Library’s Young Lions prize.
To research her first novel, THE PATRIOTS, Sana traveled to the oil fields of Texas and KGB record warehouses in Moscow. Sana lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and two children.
Her debut collection ONE MORE YEAR went on to be translated into eleven languages and selected for the National Book Foundation's "5 under 35" Award. It won the 2009 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the New York Public Library’s Young Lions prize.
To research her first novel, THE PATRIOTS, Sana traveled to the oil fields of Texas and KGB record warehouses in Moscow. Sana lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 9, 2008
Dude. This is the most Iowa Writers' Workshop book I have ever read, and when I was a little baby creative writing litfic zine self-publishing undergrad baby, I read a lot of Iowa Writers' Workshop books.
It's like, Jesus, I know that that place produces different kinds of writers, but if you wanted to boil what they do down into one book, this would be it. Seemingly innocuous observations that are actually full of meaning, if you really totally think about it? Check. A window into cultures that aren't America's, but which tell us a lot about ourselves? Check. A bunch of 20 to 22 page stories, lots of restrained character development, no queers anywhere, tension in het marriages that make you want to bang your head against the wall because, duh, you people just need to communicate directly, just one time, and then I get super frustrated because is this really what other people are like- is this what I used to be like (and sometimes still am like, when I am not on top of my shit), before I decided that heteronormativity was poison and figured out that I needed to be way more intentional and explicit about my shit? Check, check, check, check. I get it! You are constrained by unfortunate circumstances! Bummer! I wish the Cloverfield monster would show up and kill somebody so I could feel some sense of catharsis, instead of quiet, boring, yearning desperation.
I mean, sure, clearly, it's well-put together, and clearly she can put a sentence together, structure a story. So what? I'm left feeling totally empty and annoyed, and weirded out about how much I would have been into this ten years ago, when I thought this sort of thing was the pinnacle of How To Write Stories, and had secret fantasies of going to Iowa to learn how to do it. Gross!
----
Oh! I just saw this gets compared to Jhumpa Lahiri in its blurb. That's funny, because I always think I should read Ms. Lahiri, but when I was 21 and I tried to I had almost the exact same response to Interpreter of Maladies that I am having to One More Year. So.
It's like, Jesus, I know that that place produces different kinds of writers, but if you wanted to boil what they do down into one book, this would be it. Seemingly innocuous observations that are actually full of meaning, if you really totally think about it? Check. A window into cultures that aren't America's, but which tell us a lot about ourselves? Check. A bunch of 20 to 22 page stories, lots of restrained character development, no queers anywhere, tension in het marriages that make you want to bang your head against the wall because, duh, you people just need to communicate directly, just one time, and then I get super frustrated because is this really what other people are like- is this what I used to be like (and sometimes still am like, when I am not on top of my shit), before I decided that heteronormativity was poison and figured out that I needed to be way more intentional and explicit about my shit? Check, check, check, check. I get it! You are constrained by unfortunate circumstances! Bummer! I wish the Cloverfield monster would show up and kill somebody so I could feel some sense of catharsis, instead of quiet, boring, yearning desperation.
I mean, sure, clearly, it's well-put together, and clearly she can put a sentence together, structure a story. So what? I'm left feeling totally empty and annoyed, and weirded out about how much I would have been into this ten years ago, when I thought this sort of thing was the pinnacle of How To Write Stories, and had secret fantasies of going to Iowa to learn how to do it. Gross!
----
Oh! I just saw this gets compared to Jhumpa Lahiri in its blurb. That's funny, because I always think I should read Ms. Lahiri, but when I was 21 and I tried to I had almost the exact same response to Interpreter of Maladies that I am having to One More Year. So.
November 18, 2008
Stark stories of assimilation and identity that ask if we can ever be anything other than who we are. By this I mean that one's culture in inextricably tied to one's sense of self. When one's culture is stripped away, whether by choice or not, one begins to lose one's identity leaving a void into which myriad issues accumulate.
March 6, 2014
Not keen on recreational drug stories; I could just open the tabloids in any country for that!
January 11, 2009
Sana Krasikov, in her first published collection, brings a filling and current group of short stories, and in them, creates honest characters whose interactions cannot be forgotten. Dramatic and awful at times, desperate and sparse, the stories move through time as each day does. Eagerly, you turn the page, hoping for the best, but you see it doesn't always happen.
As a graduate of the reknown Iowa Writers' Workshop, Krasikov sounds like Raymond Carver at times: despairing and hopeless with a sliver of brightness that develops through clear storytelling. Capturing fond emotion and likening the everyday uncomfortable human element of strangers, the author leaves no image unseen. Reflecting the roots of Krasikov's life, characters often originate from both the Ukraine and the Soviet Republic of Georgia in recent times and are transplanted to the East Coast of the United States. In developing characters, she juxtaposes and successfully conveys the understanding and assimilation of the Western lifestyle, which proves trying for the immigrants. Necessity for survival exists as uncertainties prevail.
Somber and gray, dirty and stark, stories often involve senses of infidelity and mistrust by confused working souls. In addition, they present a weaving of passionate and determined people holding high expectations of relatives believed to be just as compassionate, but who are confused, real, and imperfect. In "Asal," the main character encounters her husband's mistress and the reader is left to wonder how she can interact with her so sensibly, witnessing the heated conversation of the deteriorating relationship. Often, family members add backstory and a thicker fabric of life to the stories.
The images Krasikov creates demonstrates her eloquent mastering of the craft. As a reader, you feel her images striking deeply, and you need to breathe after each story because you completely witness the heated banter or grevious silence between characters. The author leaves no point unseen and no character untouched. As the reader, you exist among the characters and feel the ambiance conveyed through remarkable definition.
Read this collection and go for a walk. Appreciate the world around you because One More Year definitely becomes a part of you. You take it with you wherever you go.
Review by Carolyn Espe
As a graduate of the reknown Iowa Writers' Workshop, Krasikov sounds like Raymond Carver at times: despairing and hopeless with a sliver of brightness that develops through clear storytelling. Capturing fond emotion and likening the everyday uncomfortable human element of strangers, the author leaves no image unseen. Reflecting the roots of Krasikov's life, characters often originate from both the Ukraine and the Soviet Republic of Georgia in recent times and are transplanted to the East Coast of the United States. In developing characters, she juxtaposes and successfully conveys the understanding and assimilation of the Western lifestyle, which proves trying for the immigrants. Necessity for survival exists as uncertainties prevail.
Somber and gray, dirty and stark, stories often involve senses of infidelity and mistrust by confused working souls. In addition, they present a weaving of passionate and determined people holding high expectations of relatives believed to be just as compassionate, but who are confused, real, and imperfect. In "Asal," the main character encounters her husband's mistress and the reader is left to wonder how she can interact with her so sensibly, witnessing the heated conversation of the deteriorating relationship. Often, family members add backstory and a thicker fabric of life to the stories.
The images Krasikov creates demonstrates her eloquent mastering of the craft. As a reader, you feel her images striking deeply, and you need to breathe after each story because you completely witness the heated banter or grevious silence between characters. The author leaves no point unseen and no character untouched. As the reader, you exist among the characters and feel the ambiance conveyed through remarkable definition.
Read this collection and go for a walk. Appreciate the world around you because One More Year definitely becomes a part of you. You take it with you wherever you go.
Review by Carolyn Espe
July 30, 2011
What a discovery. These are beautifully written stories with honest, potent descriptions of loneliness and love and place. There's one story, "Debt," whose absent characters are almost more powerful than the ones who are present. This collection has mostly to do with immigrants from Russia or Georgia, some successful transplants and some not. Mine was a library copy and something I wish I owned.
The first of many lines I wanted to write down: It was hard to tell if he was smiling or sneering. His face seemed to say, "Yes, this is also an answer, but not to the question I asked."
The first of many lines I wanted to write down: It was hard to tell if he was smiling or sneering. His face seemed to say, "Yes, this is also an answer, but not to the question I asked."
May 31, 2020
"You konw why I'm here!"
"I don't know anymore. Every year you say 'It's one more year, one more year!'"
She opens her mouth to speak, but can't. His words are like knocking blows to her heart.
January 12, 2012
How often do you read a book and think "Why haven't I heard about this book before?" This is exactly what I thought all the way through this book. I enjoyed it immensely!
At the end of each short story, I wanted more. I wanted to know "What happens next?" and had the RATS! feeling that happens when you have to let go of a character at the story's end.
I'm going to order her first novel as soon as I get home. The back flap says that Sana Krasikov was born in the Ukraine and grew up in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and in the United States. Perhaps that upbringing makes her work so accessible to Western readers like me, while retaining a perspective that I can only call unique, fascinating, foreign and surprising.
More, more, more!
At the end of each short story, I wanted more. I wanted to know "What happens next?" and had the RATS! feeling that happens when you have to let go of a character at the story's end.
I'm going to order her first novel as soon as I get home. The back flap says that Sana Krasikov was born in the Ukraine and grew up in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and in the United States. Perhaps that upbringing makes her work so accessible to Western readers like me, while retaining a perspective that I can only call unique, fascinating, foreign and surprising.
More, more, more!
August 18, 2025
Sana Krasikov syntyi ukrainalais-georgialaiseen perheeseen Ukrainassa ja kävi koulunsa Georgiassa ennen kuin perhe muutti Yhdysvaltoihin.
Krasikov on valmistunut Iowa Writers´Workshopista
ja sen novellikokoelmasta huomaa, novellien täydellisyydestä, niiden täydellisestä rakenteesta, tekstin kuljetuksesta.
Myös novellien aihepiireistä on selvää, että niiden maailman Krasikov osaa, tuntee hahmonsa, heidät, jotka haluavat leveämmän elämän perään Amerikkaan, tuntee heidän päämääränsä tai päämäärättömyytensä, halunsa muuttaa paremman perään ja jos se ei onnistu, tyytyä.
Novellien henkilöt ovat kaukana kotoaan, maahanmuuttajia tai emigrantteja, hanttihommissa tai ainakin koulutustaan vastaamattomassa työssä. Kuvaus, niin paikoista kuin hahmoista, on täsmällistä ja sävykästä.
Pidin näistä kahdeksasta novellista, niiden odottavasta tunnelmasta tosi tosi paljon, pikkuisen taisin rakastuakin, jotain erityisen kiehtovaa, erityisesti tunnelmassa, jonka Krasikov novelleihinsa luo kiehtoo, erityisessä amerikka-venäjä-ukraina-tunnelmassa, vaikkakin nyt niiden lukeminen tuntuu oudosti irvokkaalle. (Jollain tasolla, tässä maailmanajassa, tuntui epämukavalle lukea Krasikovin novellikokoelmaa. Viittaan nyt itäiseen naapuriimme, sen kansaan vaikkakin Sana Krasikov, itselleni aiemmin täysin tuntematon kirjailija, on siihen liittymätön, - tietenkin- ja kirjoittanut oivallisen esikoisteoksen, novellikokoelman ja se, että pidin tästä kokoelmasta, novellien tunnelmasta, jotenkin oudolla tavalla nolottaa, ja saa aikaan epämukaviakin tuntemuksia, ehkä niiden hahmojen elävyydestä johtuen, vaikka toki ymmärrän, että tunteeni on typerä ja turha.
Mutta aika on hullu ja se näköjän saa aikaan hulluja tuntemuksia, yksilöissäkin.)
Rakastan novelleja. Jos joku minut tuntee, niin tietää, että novellimuoto on itselleni rakas ja olen niitä jo lukenut aika tavalla, joten ihan kaikki ei enää kelpaa tai tunnut luonteenomaisilta tai taidokkailta.
Krasikovin novellit, sen sijaan, ovat sekä muodoltaan että tarinankerronnaltaan oikein oivallisia, erittäin hyviä. Niissä tavoittuu naapurikansojemme stereotyyppiset piirteet, elämisen tapa ja tunnelma. Erityisesti luonteenlaadun, ilmeet ja tilojen ja ihmisten mukanaantuoman tunnelman oli mahdollista tuntea käsissään, lukiessaan. Se oli hienoa.
Krasikov on valmistunut Iowa Writers´Workshopista
ja sen novellikokoelmasta huomaa, novellien täydellisyydestä, niiden täydellisestä rakenteesta, tekstin kuljetuksesta.
Myös novellien aihepiireistä on selvää, että niiden maailman Krasikov osaa, tuntee hahmonsa, heidät, jotka haluavat leveämmän elämän perään Amerikkaan, tuntee heidän päämääränsä tai päämäärättömyytensä, halunsa muuttaa paremman perään ja jos se ei onnistu, tyytyä.
Novellien henkilöt ovat kaukana kotoaan, maahanmuuttajia tai emigrantteja, hanttihommissa tai ainakin koulutustaan vastaamattomassa työssä. Kuvaus, niin paikoista kuin hahmoista, on täsmällistä ja sävykästä.
Pidin näistä kahdeksasta novellista, niiden odottavasta tunnelmasta tosi tosi paljon, pikkuisen taisin rakastuakin, jotain erityisen kiehtovaa, erityisesti tunnelmassa, jonka Krasikov novelleihinsa luo kiehtoo, erityisessä amerikka-venäjä-ukraina-tunnelmassa, vaikkakin nyt niiden lukeminen tuntuu oudosti irvokkaalle. (Jollain tasolla, tässä maailmanajassa, tuntui epämukavalle lukea Krasikovin novellikokoelmaa. Viittaan nyt itäiseen naapuriimme, sen kansaan vaikkakin Sana Krasikov, itselleni aiemmin täysin tuntematon kirjailija, on siihen liittymätön, - tietenkin- ja kirjoittanut oivallisen esikoisteoksen, novellikokoelman ja se, että pidin tästä kokoelmasta, novellien tunnelmasta, jotenkin oudolla tavalla nolottaa, ja saa aikaan epämukaviakin tuntemuksia, ehkä niiden hahmojen elävyydestä johtuen, vaikka toki ymmärrän, että tunteeni on typerä ja turha.
Mutta aika on hullu ja se näköjän saa aikaan hulluja tuntemuksia, yksilöissäkin.)
Rakastan novelleja. Jos joku minut tuntee, niin tietää, että novellimuoto on itselleni rakas ja olen niitä jo lukenut aika tavalla, joten ihan kaikki ei enää kelpaa tai tunnut luonteenomaisilta tai taidokkailta.
Krasikovin novellit, sen sijaan, ovat sekä muodoltaan että tarinankerronnaltaan oikein oivallisia, erittäin hyviä. Niissä tavoittuu naapurikansojemme stereotyyppiset piirteet, elämisen tapa ja tunnelma. Erityisesti luonteenlaadun, ilmeet ja tilojen ja ihmisten mukanaantuoman tunnelman oli mahdollista tuntea käsissään, lukiessaan. Se oli hienoa.
December 27, 2008
Short stories. Krasikov has been widely compared to Jhumpa Lahiri -- and I think that's mainly because they both write about the experiences of immigrants (in Krasikov's case, Russian and Georgian) to the U.S. A pleasure to read. I am looking forward to reading Sana Krasikov's forthcoming novel, as most of her stories left me wanting to know more about the characters. I would like to see her take the time to go delve more deeply in the themes she touches on in this collection.
March 20, 2017
This is a series of short stories about the Russian immigrant experience in the United States. Krasikov develops her characters in a remarkably deep way for such short stories, and her writing is lyrical. She has characters that are Christian, Muslim, atheist, and Jewish, so I appreciated the variety. One thing I noticed is that none of the characters is happy, either in the United States nor when they return to Russia for a visit or to stay. Nor were they happy when they grew up in Russia. Other books I've read about Russia also have this grim take on life, as if it's something you just get through. I think it is part of their culture. Even with the explosion of Western ways of life--consumer goods, owning personal businesses, making it rich in banking or other financial ventures--the most one can expect from life is contentment. I remember hearing a radio show on "This American Life," where it discussed romance in Russia vs. the United States. In the United States we feel we will be happy evermore, now that we've found our true love. In Russia, the attitude is, "Now I've found someone with whom to share my misery."
November 30, 2018
I loved the transnational aspects of Krasikov's collection of short stories of migrants from the former USSR, including Central Asian nations (e.g. Tajikistan) as well as Georgia. It is a pleasant read, though each story involves a sort of marital problem (but also some for good reason, as migrants would marry U.S. citizens for immigration aid and that complicated matters and sometimes had major costs). I find it comparable to Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" in many ways. I recommend both works, as they are enjoyable reads.
Read
April 25, 2023Alkujaan ukrainalais-georgialaisen kirjailijan* esikoisteos. Novellikokoelma, lähinnä maahanmuuttajista Amerikkaan. Ei iloinen kirja.
Helmet: 9 (kirjailija kuuluu vähemmistöön, ja kirja kertoo tästä vähemmistöstä; itäeurooppalainen emigrantti Amerikassa)
Popsugar: 4 tai 35
Pohjoinen: 13 (ukrainalaisen kirjailijan teos *)
Helmet: 9 (kirjailija kuuluu vähemmistöön, ja kirja kertoo tästä vähemmistöstä; itäeurooppalainen emigrantti Amerikassa)
Popsugar: 4 tai 35
Pohjoinen: 13 (ukrainalaisen kirjailijan teos *)
November 14, 2024
I very much enjoyed this collection. I discovered Ms. Krasikov through her short story “The Muddle” in the Best American Short Stories collection, and I was enraptured. I very much enjoy her prose, and the Soviet immigrant perspective is fascinating. My personal favorite from this collection is “The Alternate.” I can’t wait to get my hands on her novel some day.
August 2, 2023
Heel mooie verhalen waarin alles draait rond migratie en menselijke relaties, verloren zijn, op zoek zijn naar, verlaten, al dan niet geloven in of hopen op liefde... het beeld van de mens in al zijn complexiteit, daar waar die in feite nergens voor nodig is.
January 24, 2019
Immigration / integration comes in all shapes and colors.
Not all smooth. Not all as planned. But life goes on.
That's why i loved the stories. Hope more are coming.
Not all smooth. Not all as planned. But life goes on.
That's why i loved the stories. Hope more are coming.
August 21, 2022
3.5
- honest immigrant stories
- short stories, one theme
- common pain of being stuck in life
- honest immigrant stories
- short stories, one theme
- common pain of being stuck in life
October 5, 2022
Ei toimi.
January 8, 2023
*2.5 stars*
Read
March 18, 2025ik dacht dat ik dit saai zou vinden maar toen was het heel erg leuk en interessant en de conclusie is eigenlijk wel dat mannen zuigen
March 23, 2025
Was an effort to get through. Interesting setting for the stories but still not sure what to feel about them.
March 13, 2016
I read these short stories because they won the 2009 Sami Rohr prize for emerging Jewish authors. There isn't necessarily a lot of Judaism in these tales, apart from one Modern Orthodox wedding, a synagogue sponsoring a secular couple and a woman who refuses to eat pork at her honorary aunt's home. They are, however, very well written. I read a review that likened their development to that of novels, and it stuck with me. The items here tilt to the side of the longer short story (and the final one is probably a technical novella, at 50 pages). They chronicle the lives of Russian and Georgian refugees to the United States.
Most stories are pretty exclusively placed in the U.S., with only vague references to drug culture back home, or shootings by police forces and other signs of unrest in these decades after the Soviet Union collapse. Each piece only chronicles a small sliver of the narrator's life, of course, but came complete with back stories, vivid physical details and character analyses. I like how there was time to build up these secondary characters and then have the protagonist judge their motives and personalities. Many of the protagonists themselves had the unfortunate habit of getting together with the wrong man, or otherwise being in financial straits that force them to remain in questionable situations for the proverbial "one more year".
Then there were two stories in particular that grabbed me, "Maia in Yonkers" and "Debt," about the distance between family members. My favorite was probably "The Repatraries," which had a lot to do with how people cheat each other, both personally and professionally, and gave a pretty chilling assessment of Moscow. I mean, I'd like to see that fancy metro system, but all the dour people? Then again, most folks in the US find people from DC to be dour. :p
The stories definitely had a polished, New Yorker/MFA feel, but that sort of thing usually encourages me to think deeply about themes. Nice way to spend the weekend.
Most stories are pretty exclusively placed in the U.S., with only vague references to drug culture back home, or shootings by police forces and other signs of unrest in these decades after the Soviet Union collapse. Each piece only chronicles a small sliver of the narrator's life, of course, but came complete with back stories, vivid physical details and character analyses. I like how there was time to build up these secondary characters and then have the protagonist judge their motives and personalities. Many of the protagonists themselves had the unfortunate habit of getting together with the wrong man, or otherwise being in financial straits that force them to remain in questionable situations for the proverbial "one more year".
Then there were two stories in particular that grabbed me, "Maia in Yonkers" and "Debt," about the distance between family members. My favorite was probably "The Repatraries," which had a lot to do with how people cheat each other, both personally and professionally, and gave a pretty chilling assessment of Moscow. I mean, I'd like to see that fancy metro system, but all the dour people? Then again, most folks in the US find people from DC to be dour. :p
The stories definitely had a polished, New Yorker/MFA feel, but that sort of thing usually encourages me to think deeply about themes. Nice way to spend the weekend.
April 30, 2016
אני לא חובבת של ז'אנר הסיפור הקצר. בדומה לז'אנר המכתבים יש בו משהו שלא מאפשר לי לנשום מספיק את הדמויות, להיקשר אליהן ואני מסכימה עם ההגדרה של נורית וורגפט, שסיפור קצר משול לסטוץ. אמה מה, אני לא חובבת סטוצים ואני צריכה להיות במוד נפשי מאוד מוגדר בכדי לצלוח סיפורים קצרים או שהם צריכים להיות וירטואוזים (ר"ע ג'ון ווארלי).
לכן זה תמיד מפתיע אותי, שאני מתעקשת לנסות לקרוא ספרי סיפורים קצרים. כמו אישה מוכה, שחוזרת לבעלה המכה כי היא חושבת שאולי משהו ישתנה, שאולי זו הפעם האחרונה, שאולי יהיה טוב והפעם, הפעם, נו באמת הפעם זה יהיה ירח דבש, גם אני מסרבת להפנים ולשחרר. לא חייבים לקרוא הכל.
דווקא במובן זה, "עוד שנה אחת" הפתיע אותי, כי בין שלל הסיפורים הקצרים, שלטעמי חלקם לא היו מבריקים מספיק, מצאתי נגיעות קטנות של זהב מנצנצץ. נגיעות מפתיעות, ששפכו אור נוגה עד כאב על הדמויות המכמירות לב של קרסיקוב.
מוזר, את הקריאה בספר ליוותה הרגשה ברורה שקרסיקוב לוקה באובר מסבירנות בשביל סיפורים קצרים. כביכול היא צריכה להסביר לקורא את תנאי החיים של הדמויות שלה כדי שהקורא יוכל להזדהות ולהבין את הדמות. מהססת להגיע אל הפואנטה, שלעיתים גם לא קיימת.
אבל באופן מפתיע למדי, היום, שבועיים אחרי שסיימתי את הספר אני ממשיכה להרהר בדמויות של קרסיקוב, בעיקר בשלוש דמויות : בג'וליה, הכלואה בנישואים פוליגמיים לראשיד שאינו יכול לעזוב את אישתו השניה. באניה, הנישאת בלית ברירה לבעל מכה ובלרה המוצאת את עצמה ננטשת.
דמויות משלימות במובנים מסויימים ובמובנים אחרים כל כך דומות.
אני חושבת גם ששלושת הסיפורים : "אסאל", "עוד שנה אחת" ו"השבים למולדת" נתפסו אצלי כלב הספר. אני חושבת שבהם היכולות של קרסיקוב מרקיעות לפסגות שמבליטות את הפגמים ביתר הסיפורים שצורפו לקובץ ולכן זה כל כך ציער אותי.
אני ממליצה בחום לקרוא את שלושת הסיפורים שציינתי, יש בהם איכויות מפתיעות, נוגעות, מגרדות שנשארות מתחת לעור. יתר הסיפורים לשיקולכם.
"עוד שנה אחת", סאנה קרסיקוב
הוצאת מחברות לספרות, 2010, 221 עמ'
לכן זה תמיד מפתיע אותי, שאני מתעקשת לנסות לקרוא ספרי סיפורים קצרים. כמו אישה מוכה, שחוזרת לבעלה המכה כי היא חושבת שאולי משהו ישתנה, שאולי זו הפעם האחרונה, שאולי יהיה טוב והפעם, הפעם, נו באמת הפעם זה יהיה ירח דבש, גם אני מסרבת להפנים ולשחרר. לא חייבים לקרוא הכל.
דווקא במובן זה, "עוד שנה אחת" הפתיע אותי, כי בין שלל הסיפורים הקצרים, שלטעמי חלקם לא היו מבריקים מספיק, מצאתי נגיעות קטנות של זהב מנצנצץ. נגיעות מפתיעות, ששפכו אור נוגה עד כאב על הדמויות המכמירות לב של קרסיקוב.
מוזר, את הקריאה בספר ליוותה הרגשה ברורה שקרסיקוב לוקה באובר מסבירנות בשביל סיפורים קצרים. כביכול היא צריכה להסביר לקורא את תנאי החיים של הדמויות שלה כדי שהקורא יוכל להזדהות ולהבין את הדמות. מהססת להגיע אל הפואנטה, שלעיתים גם לא קיימת.
אבל באופן מפתיע למדי, היום, שבועיים אחרי שסיימתי את הספר אני ממשיכה להרהר בדמויות של קרסיקוב, בעיקר בשלוש דמויות : בג'וליה, הכלואה בנישואים פוליגמיים לראשיד שאינו יכול לעזוב את אישתו השניה. באניה, הנישאת בלית ברירה לבעל מכה ובלרה המוצאת את עצמה ננטשת.
דמויות משלימות במובנים מסויימים ובמובנים אחרים כל כך דומות.
אני חושבת גם ששלושת הסיפורים : "אסאל", "עוד שנה אחת" ו"השבים למולדת" נתפסו אצלי כלב הספר. אני חושבת שבהם היכולות של קרסיקוב מרקיעות לפסגות שמבליטות את הפגמים ביתר הסיפורים שצורפו לקובץ ולכן זה כל כך ציער אותי.
אני ממליצה בחום לקרוא את שלושת הסיפורים שציינתי, יש בהם איכויות מפתיעות, נוגעות, מגרדות שנשארות מתחת לעור. יתר הסיפורים לשיקולכם.
"עוד שנה אחת", סאנה קרסיקוב
הוצאת מחברות לספרות, 2010, 221 עמ'
July 16, 2008
DATE: 7-16-08
TITLE: One More Year
AUTHOR: Krasikov, Sana
PUBLISHER: Spiegel & Grau
COPYRIGHT: 2008
RATING: 5 out of 5
I must preface my review with the fact that I rarely read short stories collections because I always seem to be left wanting more. I think the last collection I read and really enjoyed was The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende.
This book was meant for me to read. The day I received it I was so drawn that I put my other books down and started in on it immediately. By early evening, I was about half way through, and I noticed my husband had tuned into a documentary on LINK TV. It was about the effort by AES to bring new electrical service to the people of the Georgia Republic and more specifically the town of Tbilisi. It felt like destiny to be exposed to the trials that so many Soviet citizens have had to endure since the dawning of their democracy.
It is the simple stories of individuals that stick with you. The way that the trials of these people make or break them, divide and conquer relationships and families, is brought to the forefront by these stories. Ms. Krasikov has put three-dimension to her characters so you feel like you know them, they live in your town and are the person that you encountered at the doctor’s office or the cab driver you had. Each story gives us all a moment’s pause to have a little more understanding of the sacrifices that many are willing to make to experience what we take for granted, Freedom. Be it, religious, ethnic, political or simply economic, it is the driving force and the risk that many take every day to have a better life. Thank you to Ms. Krasikov for saying it so eloquently.
July 8, 2024
Book Review – ‘One More Year’ by Sana Krasikov
Portobello Books – ISBN –9781846271779
8 out of 10
The characters in Sana Krasikov’s short stories in ‘One More Year’ are all looking for something, in between something. They may be between relationships, between stages in life, or even between countries. It is of people looking for a new life, or a new identity, both literal and metaphorical, but know the cost of what they are leaving behind.
We have parents who are seeking new connections with their children, or children wanting to get away from their families. ‘Companion’ sees Illona looking for a new love in America, but only meeting fellow Russians, and realising that for all of its promises, America only delivers in her mind.
‘In Maia in Yonkers’, Maia is settling into life in New York, whilst her family are initially impressed and excited, and then bored by her new life, and who she lives.
‘Better Half’ examines the life of two young, newly weds and how their reality does not live up to their expectations of life, whilst ‘There will be no Fourth Rome’ sees Larisa considering her life as a new mother.
The tales are all subtley drawn, with dialogue that is both quality literature, but also real. The book looks at compromise, and how changing relationships is like changing countries, an act of emigration itself. These stories all tell stories of lives in flux, changing. They are little vignettes of existence, very well drawn and written, with characters and situations that have a wide appeal. This is Sana Krasikov’s first book, and promises much for her future.
Portobello Books – ISBN –9781846271779
8 out of 10
The characters in Sana Krasikov’s short stories in ‘One More Year’ are all looking for something, in between something. They may be between relationships, between stages in life, or even between countries. It is of people looking for a new life, or a new identity, both literal and metaphorical, but know the cost of what they are leaving behind.
We have parents who are seeking new connections with their children, or children wanting to get away from their families. ‘Companion’ sees Illona looking for a new love in America, but only meeting fellow Russians, and realising that for all of its promises, America only delivers in her mind.
‘In Maia in Yonkers’, Maia is settling into life in New York, whilst her family are initially impressed and excited, and then bored by her new life, and who she lives.
‘Better Half’ examines the life of two young, newly weds and how their reality does not live up to their expectations of life, whilst ‘There will be no Fourth Rome’ sees Larisa considering her life as a new mother.
The tales are all subtley drawn, with dialogue that is both quality literature, but also real. The book looks at compromise, and how changing relationships is like changing countries, an act of emigration itself. These stories all tell stories of lives in flux, changing. They are little vignettes of existence, very well drawn and written, with characters and situations that have a wide appeal. This is Sana Krasikov’s first book, and promises much for her future.
December 14, 2008
One More Year is a collection of short stories that explore the lives of people from the former Soviet Union. Some have immigrated to the United States and others still live or have returned to Russia. The collection explores all sorts of relationships, from care takers, to husband and wife, to uncle and niece. Many different parts of life are captures as snapshots.
Some of my favorite stories include Asal, about a relationship not normally talked about, Better Half about a young couple that marries too soon so one can remain in the United States, and There Will Be No Fourth Rome about an aunt and her niece.
To me, the stories slowly reveal themselves like peeling back an onion. You know so little in the beginning and slowly more and more information is revealed. I really like this style of writing, it keeps you on your toes and you have to pay very close attention. It's not just laid out from page one.
It is a quiet sort of collection that explores everyday life, but not the life that I'm used to or the struggles I've had to face. For that, I really enjoy it. I feel like I learned things I hadn't really known or thought about much before. I can definitely understand the comparisons to Jhumpa Lahiri. I have read her novel The Namesake, which I also enjoyed.
Some of my favorite stories include Asal, about a relationship not normally talked about, Better Half about a young couple that marries too soon so one can remain in the United States, and There Will Be No Fourth Rome about an aunt and her niece.
To me, the stories slowly reveal themselves like peeling back an onion. You know so little in the beginning and slowly more and more information is revealed. I really like this style of writing, it keeps you on your toes and you have to pay very close attention. It's not just laid out from page one.
It is a quiet sort of collection that explores everyday life, but not the life that I'm used to or the struggles I've had to face. For that, I really enjoy it. I feel like I learned things I hadn't really known or thought about much before. I can definitely understand the comparisons to Jhumpa Lahiri. I have read her novel The Namesake, which I also enjoyed.
February 22, 2017
Two of the stories in this collection have been featured in The New Yorker, so I was excited when I saw a review copy of One More Year by Sana Krasikov arrive in the mail. These tales of Russian and Georgian immigrants hoping for better lives through love in its myriad muddied forms are honest and unflinching. Arranged marriages, affairs, and acceptance are commonplace as Krasikov accurately portrays the challenges of women who seek refuge in the attention and arms of all types of men, from the insolent to the impotent. Although culturally-specific, these stories of love fostered and squandered resonate across international borders. Krasikov, who has drawn comparisons to Jhumpa Lahiri and ZZ Packer, belongs to the same bilingual and bicultural class as Lara Vapnyar and Anya Ulinich.
September 1, 2010
This is another hybrid book, this time from the Russian perspective. It is well written and interesting to read, but it did not keep me engaged. It is a difficult struggle to integrate into any society and Krasikov certainly brought a viewpoint often over looked. Some of the stories are of people who are planning to go back to their native land once they have earned enough money--always one more year; some are about individuals who are desperately trying to stay in America; one story is about a successful Russian couple who lived in America for 25 years and move back to Russia.
Krasikov glancingly grazed over the negative Russian stereotype--they existed in the stories--but she also gave readers the more caring, sensitive side of Russians and marked distinctions between Georgians and Russians.
Krasikov glancingly grazed over the negative Russian stereotype--they existed in the stories--but she also gave readers the more caring, sensitive side of Russians and marked distinctions between Georgians and Russians.
September 24, 2009
Short stories come in all different styles. Some are character studies; others have more of a vignette feel to them, that slice of life view; and then there are short stories that are more plot driven, with a clear beginning, middle and end. Sana Krasikov manages to capture all three in her collection, One More Year. Her characters are richly drawn and fully developed. Their stories are complex and I feel as if, for the instance of each story, I am walking in their shoes. One More Year is made up of stories of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Some have settled in while others still struggle to find their footing. There was not a story I did not like in this collection.
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July 26, 2011I’ve always enjoyed reading short stories, but it’s not often that I come across a writer who has the ability to hold my attention with every story.
Sana Krasikov’s One More Year comprises stories either with Russian/Ukranian characters and their relationship to each other and to assimilating in America.
While the characters seemed almost unrelentingly depressing, I still found myself looking forward to the next story. I found that I was not reading for the character development, but instead for the sheer enjoyment of Ms. Krasikov’s written word.
Also, I enjoyed that though the theme was consistent throughout the stories, each one still stood out as a small universe in itself.
Sana Krasikov’s One More Year comprises stories either with Russian/Ukranian characters and their relationship to each other and to assimilating in America.
While the characters seemed almost unrelentingly depressing, I still found myself looking forward to the next story. I found that I was not reading for the character development, but instead for the sheer enjoyment of Ms. Krasikov’s written word.
Also, I enjoyed that though the theme was consistent throughout the stories, each one still stood out as a small universe in itself.
August 7, 2011
Being that I'm very similar in background and age to the author herself, Sana Krasikov, I found the book interesting in that a lot of my own life snippets were repeated in the stories. Lots of little things were exactly the same, so it's nice to see it happening somewhere outside of my own home and experience. However, her wording was very confusing. The timeline in stories wasn't very steady and she jumped around a little bit between actions, further confusing the plots of all the little stories. Her vocab was excellent and descriptions thorough.
PS... Please read review by Village Voice Aug 13-19, 2008 page 48.
PS... Please read review by Village Voice Aug 13-19, 2008 page 48.
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