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Oksana, Behave!
An irresistible debut that follows a Russian-American girl's bumpy path to adulthood as she longs for a homeland she never knew
When Oksana's family begins their new American life in Florida after emigrating from Ukraine, her physicist father delivers pizza at night to make ends meet, her depressed mother sits home all day worrying, and her flamboyant grandmother relishes the attention she gets when she walks Oksana to school, not realizing that the street they're walking down is known as "Prostitute Street." Oksana just wants to have friends and lead a normal life--and though she constantly tries to do the right thing, she keeps getting herself in trouble.
As she grows up, she continues to misbehave, from somewhat accidentally maiming the school bus bully, to stealing the much-coveted (and expensive-to-replace) key to New York City's Gramercy Park, to falling in love with a married man. As her grandmother moves back to Ukraine, her father gets a job at Goldman Sachs, and her mother knits endless scarves, Oksana longs for a Russia that looms large in her imagination but is a country she never really knew.
When she visits her grandmother in Yalta and learns about Baba's wartime past and her lost loves, Oksana begins to see just how much alike they are, and comes to a new understanding of how to embrace life and love without causing harm to the people dearest to her--though, will Oksana ever quite learn to behave?
When Oksana's family begins their new American life in Florida after emigrating from Ukraine, her physicist father delivers pizza at night to make ends meet, her depressed mother sits home all day worrying, and her flamboyant grandmother relishes the attention she gets when she walks Oksana to school, not realizing that the street they're walking down is known as "Prostitute Street." Oksana just wants to have friends and lead a normal life--and though she constantly tries to do the right thing, she keeps getting herself in trouble.
As she grows up, she continues to misbehave, from somewhat accidentally maiming the school bus bully, to stealing the much-coveted (and expensive-to-replace) key to New York City's Gramercy Park, to falling in love with a married man. As her grandmother moves back to Ukraine, her father gets a job at Goldman Sachs, and her mother knits endless scarves, Oksana longs for a Russia that looms large in her imagination but is a country she never really knew.
When she visits her grandmother in Yalta and learns about Baba's wartime past and her lost loves, Oksana begins to see just how much alike they are, and comes to a new understanding of how to embrace life and love without causing harm to the people dearest to her--though, will Oksana ever quite learn to behave?
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2019
58 people are currently reading
5285 people want to read
About the author
Maria Kuznetsova
16 books128 followersMaria Kuznetsova was born in Kiev, Ukraine and moved to the United States as a child. She received an MFA in Fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and her fiction appears in The Threepenny Review, The Normal School, The Bennington Review, The Iowa Review, Indiana Review, and elsewhere, while her essays can be found in Slate, Guernica, and Catapult, among others.
Her debut novel, OKSANA, BEHAVE! was published by Spiegel & Grau/Random House in March of 2019, and her second novel, SOMETHING UNBELIEVABLE, will be published by Random House in April 2021. Excerpts from the novel appear in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Kenyon Review Online, Mississippi Review, and The Southern Review.
She lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her husband and daughter, where she is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Auburn University.
Her debut novel, OKSANA, BEHAVE! was published by Spiegel & Grau/Random House in March of 2019, and her second novel, SOMETHING UNBELIEVABLE, will be published by Random House in April 2021. Excerpts from the novel appear in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Kenyon Review Online, Mississippi Review, and The Southern Review.
She lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her husband and daughter, where she is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Auburn University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews
January 6, 2019
This is quite the interesting debut! Oksana and her family are from Ukraine and trying to make it in America. Oksana is trying to get used to the culture, the American slang, bullying and just all around fitting in with everyone else. In this process she makes a lot of unique choices.
The best part of this is her interpretations such as calling condoms "kingdoms" and testing to see if 9-1-1 really works by claiming her grandmother is trying to kill her. She has no filter (bless her heart) and never feels bad about how her actions impact others around her. Each chapter is a new part of her life, sometimes a new location, and always a new adventure. However, the plot never really seems to get anywhere. This is a novel that just expands in time and follows Oksana on her journey.
At times it's gritty and after a while it gets a bit tiresome. You think Oksana would indeed learn to behave but there's nothing to suggest that she actually does. I expected some more about her cultural background and her yearning for Ukraine... which we get a little bit in snippets at the end. I still have the question as to whether she always acted so selfishly or if this was a reaction to this big move her family made.
When it comes down to it, this is an absolute character read. If you're looking for an actual plot line, there is none. I'm a bit confused as to what the author was trying to give to her readers. It's somewhat relatable yet I couldn't connect to Oksana at any time. There was never a deep dive into exactly why she did what she did.
Delightful in some ways, this book is best suited for those who like to follow a girl childhood to adulthood and her experiences therein. And maybe, just MAYBE, that ending is where she actually begins.
Thank you Spiegel & Grau and Astoria Bookshop for this copy.
The best part of this is her interpretations such as calling condoms "kingdoms" and testing to see if 9-1-1 really works by claiming her grandmother is trying to kill her. She has no filter (bless her heart) and never feels bad about how her actions impact others around her. Each chapter is a new part of her life, sometimes a new location, and always a new adventure. However, the plot never really seems to get anywhere. This is a novel that just expands in time and follows Oksana on her journey.
At times it's gritty and after a while it gets a bit tiresome. You think Oksana would indeed learn to behave but there's nothing to suggest that she actually does. I expected some more about her cultural background and her yearning for Ukraine... which we get a little bit in snippets at the end. I still have the question as to whether she always acted so selfishly or if this was a reaction to this big move her family made.
When it comes down to it, this is an absolute character read. If you're looking for an actual plot line, there is none. I'm a bit confused as to what the author was trying to give to her readers. It's somewhat relatable yet I couldn't connect to Oksana at any time. There was never a deep dive into exactly why she did what she did.
Delightful in some ways, this book is best suited for those who like to follow a girl childhood to adulthood and her experiences therein. And maybe, just MAYBE, that ending is where she actually begins.
Thank you Spiegel & Grau and Astoria Bookshop for this copy.
April 29, 2024
Oksana has pretty rancid energy and just the right amount of self awareness to make herself insufferable.
February 24, 2019
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫, rounded up to 4.
Unique, quirky, and character driven story with a feisty main character, Oksana.
This is definitely not a book I would normally pick to read, but I needed something original, and with the story of Oksana, the immigrant from Kiev, I got a good dose of originality, eccentricity, and humor. Oksana is not a likeable character and I’ve cringed many times at her unapologetic behaviors, but in the end I could not stop rooting for her. We see her evolve from a little, rebellious girl into a grown woman with defined ambitions and stable family life, even though at times Oksana’s self-destructive behaviors left me in doubt that she will ever succeed in her life. Her close relationship with her father was heartwarming and sad at times but it showed Oksana’s soft side, which made her a little more likeable. I loved Baba, Oksana’s grandmother, who was as honest as they come, and with her red hair and sassiness, she was determined not to settle for less than she deserved. Baba and Oksana’s relationship was unique, comical, and unconventional, and I could not stop smirking every time these two got together.
This book was well written, character driven with a little plot, but it was well structured, and never tedious. It is not a book for everyone and I think a lot of readers will find it odd and maybe a little off-putting, but I believe that we all need books like this one in our lives.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and the author, Maria Kuznetsova, for an opportunity to read an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.
Unique, quirky, and character driven story with a feisty main character, Oksana.
This is definitely not a book I would normally pick to read, but I needed something original, and with the story of Oksana, the immigrant from Kiev, I got a good dose of originality, eccentricity, and humor. Oksana is not a likeable character and I’ve cringed many times at her unapologetic behaviors, but in the end I could not stop rooting for her. We see her evolve from a little, rebellious girl into a grown woman with defined ambitions and stable family life, even though at times Oksana’s self-destructive behaviors left me in doubt that she will ever succeed in her life. Her close relationship with her father was heartwarming and sad at times but it showed Oksana’s soft side, which made her a little more likeable. I loved Baba, Oksana’s grandmother, who was as honest as they come, and with her red hair and sassiness, she was determined not to settle for less than she deserved. Baba and Oksana’s relationship was unique, comical, and unconventional, and I could not stop smirking every time these two got together.
This book was well written, character driven with a little plot, but it was well structured, and never tedious. It is not a book for everyone and I think a lot of readers will find it odd and maybe a little off-putting, but I believe that we all need books like this one in our lives.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and the author, Maria Kuznetsova, for an opportunity to read an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.
April 24, 2019
Oksana whose last name I don't know how to spell because I listened to this so never saw the surname in print, moved from Kiev to Gainseville, Fla. when she was 7 and she never had the chance to put down roots in her new country.
Told in a series of vignettes that cover Oksana's life from 1992/age 7 to nowish/age 30-something, this is less an immigrant tale (that's the purview of her parents and her irascible grandmother) and more a series of moments in a quirky family trying to live the dream of financial success in a country not plagued by violent revolutions.
Oksana's story throughout her child-and young adult-hood reminded me of "Little Miss Sunshine" with the uncomfortable family dynamics that are as awkward as they are endearing. Oksana, whose nicknames run from "Little Fool" to "OkieDokie" to "O" and "Connie" and even "Sana," which is at least a derivative of her actual name, begins her American life at an age in which she can assimilate just fine but still faces a definite learning curve - Yes, dialing 911 will actually bring the police and covering for your mistake by saying your grandmother is trying to kill you won't win you any adorable-child points.
Oksana's family moves from Florida to Ohio and then to New Jersey and Oksana, while able to make friends wherever she goes, is rootless. Her family is her touchpoint, she is never able to connect to a sense of place. Her resulting attitudes and quirks are fascinating - sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrific - until that part of the story ends
Once she's in college, her rootlessness spreads and Oksana becomes the typical college kid who spends more time at parties than in the classroom, who takes finals while drunk, and who is in love with her best friend. At this point in the story, she can either forge her path or become adrift.
She chooses the latter and thus begins the frustrating and irritating portion of the story in which young adult and adult Oksana is...no one. There's nothing to hold on to. She's just doing what she does, she's self-involved and unaware, she suffers the consequences of thoughtless decisions, she goes along to get along, keeping herself entertained and comfortable along the way. I think we all know that person, many versions of that person, and it's a little boring meeting another one. Hell, even she admits she's that person.
“I have tried to love people but I am selfish at heart.”
and
“If you weighed all the good and bad I have done, I don’t know which side I would fall on.”
Both quotes are so relatable to me, they're things I ponder about myself often and yet, I couldn't feel this adult character on any level. At one point, I dialed up the speed so I could get through Oksana's life a little more quickly.
I'm not sure if this story is a lesson on what happens when you take an impressionable child away from their home country or if it is a treatise on Millennials in America. Perhaps it's both, probably it's neither. I don't know what the point of this story is, other than to follow a non-eventful life of a non-eventful person, but I liked it quite a lot until I didn't.
3.5 stars
Told in a series of vignettes that cover Oksana's life from 1992/age 7 to nowish/age 30-something, this is less an immigrant tale (that's the purview of her parents and her irascible grandmother) and more a series of moments in a quirky family trying to live the dream of financial success in a country not plagued by violent revolutions.
Oksana's story throughout her child-and young adult-hood reminded me of "Little Miss Sunshine" with the uncomfortable family dynamics that are as awkward as they are endearing. Oksana, whose nicknames run from "Little Fool" to "OkieDokie" to "O" and "Connie" and even "Sana," which is at least a derivative of her actual name, begins her American life at an age in which she can assimilate just fine but still faces a definite learning curve - Yes, dialing 911 will actually bring the police and covering for your mistake by saying your grandmother is trying to kill you won't win you any adorable-child points.
Oksana's family moves from Florida to Ohio and then to New Jersey and Oksana, while able to make friends wherever she goes, is rootless. Her family is her touchpoint, she is never able to connect to a sense of place. Her resulting attitudes and quirks are fascinating - sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrific - until that part of the story ends
Once she's in college, her rootlessness spreads and Oksana becomes the typical college kid who spends more time at parties than in the classroom, who takes finals while drunk, and who is in love with her best friend. At this point in the story, she can either forge her path or become adrift.
She chooses the latter and thus begins the frustrating and irritating portion of the story in which young adult and adult Oksana is...no one. There's nothing to hold on to. She's just doing what she does, she's self-involved and unaware, she suffers the consequences of thoughtless decisions, she goes along to get along, keeping herself entertained and comfortable along the way. I think we all know that person, many versions of that person, and it's a little boring meeting another one. Hell, even she admits she's that person.
“I have tried to love people but I am selfish at heart.”
and
“If you weighed all the good and bad I have done, I don’t know which side I would fall on.”
Both quotes are so relatable to me, they're things I ponder about myself often and yet, I couldn't feel this adult character on any level. At one point, I dialed up the speed so I could get through Oksana's life a little more quickly.
I'm not sure if this story is a lesson on what happens when you take an impressionable child away from their home country or if it is a treatise on Millennials in America. Perhaps it's both, probably it's neither. I don't know what the point of this story is, other than to follow a non-eventful life of a non-eventful person, but I liked it quite a lot until I didn't.
3.5 stars
March 28, 2019
Absolutely loved this strange, hilarious book. It's somewhat of a "coming of age" though more than half takes place when the main character is an adult. I was going to have my (15 year old) daughter read this before I did but glad I read it first. While I'm not going to forbid her from reading any particular book, I definitely would've felt weird about encouraging her to read this as there are some racy parts for sure. I absolutely loved Oksana and in particular her relationship with her grandmother, and her struggles to find herself, and overall it's a beautiful mix of poignant and upsetting and hilarious. At times it almost reads like a series of connected short stories with Oksana as the through-line. Not for everyone but was definitely for me.
September 12, 2019
Tricked by the book cover. Honestly, I chose to read this because of the cover and the first few pages, which were strong. The attempt at humor was cancelled out by language that I just hated. The book as a whole lacked depth; there wasn’t anything that made me think or anything that elevated the story higher than a simple narrative of some girl’s school life in America. Oksana is probably the most unlikeable character I’ve ever read. She learns nothing and doesn’t develop in any way. The writing is inelegant. I almost stopped reading multiple times.
April 16, 2019
2.5 stars only because the author is a good wordsmith. However, I kept waiting for an actual plot to emerge and I was sadly disappointed. Good thing it was a quick read or I doubt I would have finished it.
June 28, 2019
2.5 stars - It was alright, an average book.
Started strong at the start, but Oksana grew up too quickly and then the story was a slog. The abrupt forward jumps in time made everything feel too segmented and created a disconnect between the reader and the characters. A book about Baba, Oksana's grandmother, would have been far more fascinating I suspect.
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First Sentence: After I asked what America would be like, my grandmother sighed philosophically and released a mouthful of smoke out the passenger window.
Started strong at the start, but Oksana grew up too quickly and then the story was a slog. The abrupt forward jumps in time made everything feel too segmented and created a disconnect between the reader and the characters. A book about Baba, Oksana's grandmother, would have been far more fascinating I suspect.
-------------------------------------------
First Sentence: After I asked what America would be like, my grandmother sighed philosophically and released a mouthful of smoke out the passenger window.
Read
April 24, 2019Such an interesting funny/sad book about the trials & tribulations of immigrating to the US. Tho the book centers around Oksana, her whole family has a lot to adjust to. I would describe this more as a series of vignettes rather than a novel really. So many big events take place off-page & the story primarily deals with how the characters process events than it focuses on the events.
November 11, 2018
Oksana was kind of a spoiled bitch. She didn't seem to care about the consequences of her actions and I had a hard time giving a shit about her. There was some humor in this book, but not enough to make up for the fact that I just didn't get what the point was supposed to be. No plot, really; just the growing-up of a third-culture kid into a selfish, useless English major.
April 8, 2019
I put this on my TBR because it was listed somewhere I can't remember now in one of those "20 books we're looking forward to this spring" lists. For the life of me, I don't know what was written about this book that made me think I was going to be interested in this book, but having gotten it from the library pretty close to release day, I am perfectly happy to return it early and let the next person waiting for it have a chance, because this was not for me at all. I already don't like books where nothing happens, and this book in particular feels disjointed. Each chapter reads like a new vignette from Oksana's world rather than part of a cohesive story. I'm not sure if Oksana is supposed to be likeable or not, but I didn't like her enough to continue reading when there were already a handful of things I didn't like about this. I got to about 40% before deciding, I wasn't spending anymore time on a book that was bringing me no joy.
April 8, 2020
The main character is fucking annoying
May 16, 2021
2.5/5 stars, rounded up.
I’ll be honest. This book has no plot. It’s 100% character-driven, each chapter a vignette from a different part of Oksana’s life, in chronological order. Sometimes the vignettes occur within a year of each other, other times there are huge gaps and huge events that occurred between chapters (such as the death of a family member and the birth of another).
The writing isn’t bad and the characters do feel very real. But if you’re looking for a book with a plot, this is not for you.
I’ll be honest. This book has no plot. It’s 100% character-driven, each chapter a vignette from a different part of Oksana’s life, in chronological order. Sometimes the vignettes occur within a year of each other, other times there are huge gaps and huge events that occurred between chapters (such as the death of a family member and the birth of another).
The writing isn’t bad and the characters do feel very real. But if you’re looking for a book with a plot, this is not for you.
February 22, 2021
This book started off so well I was thinking it would probably get 4 stars, but it started going down. By the time I realized it was going to be only 1 or 2, I'd read enough of it that I figured I might as well finish since it fits for a couple of reading challenges. Kuznetsova writes well, it's true, so this is personal reading tastes here.
If you enjoy selfish, shallow characters with little character growth you might like this, because Kuznetsova writes quite well. However, I cannot relate to the hook up culture or the constant drinking/drug use culture. In fact, most of my friends didn't, either, and both alcohol and drugs were plentiful even then. And this isn't just a college phase for her, either.
Also, for those who, like me, don't care to read it, there is a fair bit if swearing.
If you enjoy selfish, shallow characters with little character growth you might like this, because Kuznetsova writes quite well. However, I cannot relate to the hook up culture or the constant drinking/drug use culture. In fact, most of my friends didn't, either, and both alcohol and drugs were plentiful even then. And this isn't just a college phase for her, either.
Also, for those who, like me, don't care to read it, there is a fair bit if swearing.
January 22, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and Publisher, Spiegel & Grau for providing me with an ARC. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.
There is something refreshing in these pages. Oksana and her boisterous Baba (grandmother) are unruly misfits and bewildered immigrants. Leaving Kiev and moving to swampy Florida provides a series of unexpected plights and situations that are both comical and somber.
Each chapter jumps in time as Oksana & her family members age and grow from Soviet dreamers to hardened realists. The story starts to shed its lighter hues as the pages grow darker with cynicism and bitterness.
I felt like much of Oksana’s escapades were probably born from real experiences of the author, but I appreciated the grittiness and authenticity.
This is definitely a character driven story with little plot but plenty of pluck. While Oksana is not likeable there is something compelling about her, that kept me turning the pages.
I enjoyed this debut.
There is something refreshing in these pages. Oksana and her boisterous Baba (grandmother) are unruly misfits and bewildered immigrants. Leaving Kiev and moving to swampy Florida provides a series of unexpected plights and situations that are both comical and somber.
Each chapter jumps in time as Oksana & her family members age and grow from Soviet dreamers to hardened realists. The story starts to shed its lighter hues as the pages grow darker with cynicism and bitterness.
I felt like much of Oksana’s escapades were probably born from real experiences of the author, but I appreciated the grittiness and authenticity.
This is definitely a character driven story with little plot but plenty of pluck. While Oksana is not likeable there is something compelling about her, that kept me turning the pages.
I enjoyed this debut.
April 14, 2019
"Literature reminds us that there is more that binds us than tears us apart."
What a great book! I just love novels that give you a close look at a family over generations. The writing reminded me a lot of Lorrie Moore and the concept of the novel was quite similar to A Place for Us but much funnier and not as sad (and I don't mean this in a bad way at all, I loved both novels).
Oksana is fascinating. She's deeply flawed (as we all are) and makes plenty of mistakes that genuinely hurt people, but she's hilarious and loves her family. Baba and the mom are also great characters with bigger than life personalities. I also like that the novel touches on things like rape on her college campus and her brother having to pretend he's straight. These topics are given much significance while still not becoming the focus of the novel. We still experience them through Oksana's perspective.
What a great book! I just love novels that give you a close look at a family over generations. The writing reminded me a lot of Lorrie Moore and the concept of the novel was quite similar to A Place for Us but much funnier and not as sad (and I don't mean this in a bad way at all, I loved both novels).
Oksana is fascinating. She's deeply flawed (as we all are) and makes plenty of mistakes that genuinely hurt people, but she's hilarious and loves her family. Baba and the mom are also great characters with bigger than life personalities. I also like that the novel touches on things like rape on her college campus and her brother having to pretend he's straight. These topics are given much significance while still not becoming the focus of the novel. We still experience them through Oksana's perspective.
June 16, 2019
This novel is a wonderful display of contemporary Russian/European literature. Both a dark comedy and a coming-of-age story all combined into one.
The characters in the novel are all realistic and understandable, and while each has their flaws, it is difficult to not find them endearing.
I can't wait to read what Kuznetsova writes next.
The characters in the novel are all realistic and understandable, and while each has their flaws, it is difficult to not find them endearing.
I can't wait to read what Kuznetsova writes next.
April 3, 2019
Если бы она еще разобралась в своей голове, что такое Майдан, что такое русские и что такое украинцы, или (лучше) не трогала эту тему. А так - на удивление хорошо не потому, что мне интересно всегда про эмигрантов первого поколения, а потому, что просто хорошо.
September 13, 2019
For something so short this was an absolute slog to get through. The beginning was great and interesting but it just declined. And it felt like there was zero character development. At times it felt just lazy and written for the sake of having written “A Novel.”
April 28, 2019
Great book! Fun, quick read.
Why only four stars you ask? Well, while this book was fun, it was illustrative of why, again, I generally don't read modern fiction, outside of some select genres (sci-fi thanks to James SA Corey and spy fiction a la John LeCarre): apparently you can't sell a manuscript to a publisher nowadays without a certain number of "f$cks" per page and/or the word "cum" and all its related descriptions.
I think the author also missed some opportunities of describing some of the best parts of Russians, esp. grandmas: Oksana, zip up your coat! Oksana, don't sit in the corner! All those wives' tales that make Russians so delightful to have around, the things I miss the most about Russia, were almost all missing.
This book did have enough of the idiosyncrasies of Russians to keep me reading, and yes, I know the author isn't Russian and the characters aren't Russians, but you know what I mean: perhaps "Soviet" would be better here. Or Russophones. And OMG, the whole part about her use of погибла vice умерла, so very Russian! I mean Soviet [DLI teacher in the '80s].
This book isn't political, but it has the right take on recent events, e.g Crimea and Ukraine. But one must wonder: autobiography? semi-autobiography? I hope the latter as I don't know how I could have faced my husband the first time he read the draft if I were госпажа Кузнецова!
Why only four stars you ask? Well, while this book was fun, it was illustrative of why, again, I generally don't read modern fiction, outside of some select genres (sci-fi thanks to James SA Corey and spy fiction a la John LeCarre): apparently you can't sell a manuscript to a publisher nowadays without a certain number of "f$cks" per page and/or the word "cum" and all its related descriptions.
I think the author also missed some opportunities of describing some of the best parts of Russians, esp. grandmas: Oksana, zip up your coat! Oksana, don't sit in the corner! All those wives' tales that make Russians so delightful to have around, the things I miss the most about Russia, were almost all missing.
This book did have enough of the idiosyncrasies of Russians to keep me reading, and yes, I know the author isn't Russian and the characters aren't Russians, but you know what I mean: perhaps "Soviet" would be better here. Or Russophones. And OMG, the whole part about her use of погибла vice умерла, so very Russian! I mean Soviet [DLI teacher in the '80s].
This book isn't political, but it has the right take on recent events, e.g Crimea and Ukraine. But one must wonder: autobiography? semi-autobiography? I hope the latter as I don't know how I could have faced my husband the first time he read the draft if I were госпажа Кузнецова!
June 3, 2020
I'm always mad when books don't match they covers - that is to say it's 2020 and it's all sans-serif text overlaid on an oversized floral pattern. and it can mean anything! but now here, this book cover screams "quirky gay soviet romance." but it's actually "sans-serif text overlaid on an oversized floral pattern."
i think a lot about what my book cover would look like. it's 2020 and i wish my book cover looked like the europa edition cover of FREYA by anthony quinn. but i haven't read that. i'm just still jumbled inside all these oversized florals right now.
i think a lot about what my book cover would look like. it's 2020 and i wish my book cover looked like the europa edition cover of FREYA by anthony quinn. but i haven't read that. i'm just still jumbled inside all these oversized florals right now.
September 30, 2021
This book follows Oksana, a child of Ukrainian immigrants to the US, as she grows up from a 7 year old hoping her schoolmates don't notice her grandmother waiting to pick her up after school, to a mother-to-be attending her grandmother's funeral in Kiev. Her energy, acerbic outlook, and full-tilt approach to life get her in trouble, especially as a child, but also make her irresistible--to read about, but apparently also to the people in her life. One storyline of the book leads to Oksana's realization of how much she is like her beloved Baba, whom she has always viewed as a somewhat outrageous character with an operatic life story.
I thought about labeling this as a comic novel, but decided not to. It is very funny in places but not all the way through, and I don't think comedy was its central goal. It's a light-spirited growing up story. Don't let the cover art (which I love) fool you.
I thought about labeling this as a comic novel, but decided not to. It is very funny in places but not all the way through, and I don't think comedy was its central goal. It's a light-spirited growing up story. Don't let the cover art (which I love) fool you.
March 22, 2022
Stark trea. Det var en rolig bok uppbyggd med varje kapitel som en egen novell med utgångspunkt i Oksanas liv.
April 13, 2019
Strong characters. Fluid writing. Quick read.
September 12, 2019
I really enjoyed the beginning of this novel. It's funny and quirky and filled with mistakes reminiscent of those made by Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby except a little (or a lot) edgier. But Kuznetsova lost me a bit when Oksana graduated from college and still hadn't gained anything resembling perspective or growth. Not only didn't she change, but the humor of the first part of the novel faded into a kind of bitterness.
My spouse and I, during our time in the Bay Area, developed a hypothesis that being forced by the high cost of living to exist in a perpetual starving-undergrad state---futons, Ikea furniture, multiple roommates---delays the emotional development of young adults there. Perhaps this is part of what's going on with Oksana. There's also a negative stereotype I have about MFA grads (the Iowa Writer's Workshop in particular) writing thinly veiled autobiographical novels, although that's probably my Jungian shadow. There but for the grace of god, I suppose.
I did kind of enjoy watching Oksana move through many of the places I've lived myself, and some of her experiences in undergrad were eerily similar to my senior year of college. One character/situation in particular was so similar it gave me chills and then left me kind of melancholy and with diminished hope for our society. (This is where I need a book club so I can talk about this stuff without spoiling the plot.)
My spouse and I, during our time in the Bay Area, developed a hypothesis that being forced by the high cost of living to exist in a perpetual starving-undergrad state---futons, Ikea furniture, multiple roommates---delays the emotional development of young adults there. Perhaps this is part of what's going on with Oksana. There's also a negative stereotype I have about MFA grads (the Iowa Writer's Workshop in particular) writing thinly veiled autobiographical novels, although that's probably my Jungian shadow. There but for the grace of god, I suppose.
I did kind of enjoy watching Oksana move through many of the places I've lived myself, and some of her experiences in undergrad were eerily similar to my senior year of college. One character/situation in particular was so similar it gave me chills and then left me kind of melancholy and with diminished hope for our society. (This is where I need a book club so I can talk about this stuff without spoiling the plot.)
October 22, 2019
Of course, I had to read it. Actually, to listen to it. With a very authentic-sounding narrator - props to her.
As a former Soviet refugee, I was intrigued by the premise. And sort of enjoyed the first few chapters, or short stories. Oksana's childhood in the new country, several fascinating family members ("Baba" alone was worth the read!), confusion about identity and her role in her family, school, world. All of that was relatable and very intriguing.
But... as soon as Oksana grew up to high school and beyond, the stories deteriorated into navel-gazing, self-centered 'I wanna be a writer" muddled reflections. Sexual escapades, attempts to get into MFA grad programs (total waste, IMHO), etc. became just so boring and unoriginal, that I had to give up.
There are already several remarkable memoirs of Soviet emigree children's experiences, and writers exploring that particular milieu, in English.
No need for yet one more wannabe.
As a former Soviet refugee, I was intrigued by the premise. And sort of enjoyed the first few chapters, or short stories. Oksana's childhood in the new country, several fascinating family members ("Baba" alone was worth the read!), confusion about identity and her role in her family, school, world. All of that was relatable and very intriguing.
But... as soon as Oksana grew up to high school and beyond, the stories deteriorated into navel-gazing, self-centered 'I wanna be a writer" muddled reflections. Sexual escapades, attempts to get into MFA grad programs (total waste, IMHO), etc. became just so boring and unoriginal, that I had to give up.
There are already several remarkable memoirs of Soviet emigree children's experiences, and writers exploring that particular milieu, in English.
No need for yet one more wannabe.
June 15, 2019
This novel tells a story of a young woman who immigrates with her family from Kiev and lands first in Florida. It's told in a delightful first person voice that's packed with character and with a profound irreverence that can easily shock people around her. It's both unsettling and life-affirming in unexpected ways. Fun and fast-paced read.
April 19, 2019
I gave it a bonus star for cover art.
September 6, 2019
It’s an attempt that was not as successful as I had wished. No plot, just Oksana and her life. Felt forced and the humor didn’t hit.
December 23, 2018
Oksana Konnikova moved to the United States from Kiev with her parents when she was a child. Although her father was a Math Olympics champion in Russia, while working as a physicist in Gainesville, Florida, he had to deliver pizza to make ends meet. Her mother, struggling to find work as an accountant, often fell into depression. And she shared a room with her sassy grandmother who enjoyed the catcalls she received while walking down Prostitute Street. They affectionately call Oksana “fool” or “idiot” but it speaks to a distance between her and her family, perhaps most sadly illustrated when her parents and grandmother go out to dinner to celebrate but leave her behind in the apartment, alone.
Each chapter is written almost as if a self-contained short story and jumps forward in time with only the characters in common. The structure was interesting, and I got a kick out of seeing the brief mentions of Oksana’s high school friend, Lily, and her changing careers, throughout the book. At the same time, the quality and impact of the chapters was uneven. It also offers a less intimate view of the characters since we see them in bits over many time periods.
Oksana certainly is badly behaved. As a child, testing if the police will really come if she calls 911, she reports that her grandmother is trying to kill her. When a tween, she severely injures a bully when protecting a younger child from his abuses. As she ages, her behavior becomes both more selfish and more self-destructive, leaving a swath of cruel destruction in its wake. Even at the end of the novel, when her life has changed dramatically, her choices have not, and it isn’t clear she’s learned anything from the pain she’s caused.
I had also expected much more mediation on the immigrant experience. Her name and other people’s difficulty pronouncing it, her family’s food preferences, and her travel to the Ukraine are embedded in the story, but I’m not sure if we are to take Oksana’s bad behavior as a manifestation of her immigrant experience, her personality, or the result of her upbringing.
Also, I’d hoped for more information on her grandmother’s experiences in the war. From the description, I thought this would play more of a role. Certainly, this history was important to Oksana, but it wasn’t included in the novel but for a paragraph or two.
Maria Kuznetsova does have some wonderful passages and heartrending dialogue, but I found myself empathizing much more with Oksana’s victims than with her. I hoped she would develop and change over the course of the novel, but she never seemed to learn to behave. Maybe, though, the end was just the beginning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau, a division of Random House, for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Each chapter is written almost as if a self-contained short story and jumps forward in time with only the characters in common. The structure was interesting, and I got a kick out of seeing the brief mentions of Oksana’s high school friend, Lily, and her changing careers, throughout the book. At the same time, the quality and impact of the chapters was uneven. It also offers a less intimate view of the characters since we see them in bits over many time periods.
Oksana certainly is badly behaved. As a child, testing if the police will really come if she calls 911, she reports that her grandmother is trying to kill her. When a tween, she severely injures a bully when protecting a younger child from his abuses. As she ages, her behavior becomes both more selfish and more self-destructive, leaving a swath of cruel destruction in its wake. Even at the end of the novel, when her life has changed dramatically, her choices have not, and it isn’t clear she’s learned anything from the pain she’s caused.
I had also expected much more mediation on the immigrant experience. Her name and other people’s difficulty pronouncing it, her family’s food preferences, and her travel to the Ukraine are embedded in the story, but I’m not sure if we are to take Oksana’s bad behavior as a manifestation of her immigrant experience, her personality, or the result of her upbringing.
Also, I’d hoped for more information on her grandmother’s experiences in the war. From the description, I thought this would play more of a role. Certainly, this history was important to Oksana, but it wasn’t included in the novel but for a paragraph or two.
Maria Kuznetsova does have some wonderful passages and heartrending dialogue, but I found myself empathizing much more with Oksana’s victims than with her. I hoped she would develop and change over the course of the novel, but she never seemed to learn to behave. Maybe, though, the end was just the beginning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau, a division of Random House, for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
...aka darzy... | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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