A Biography of a Chance Miracle

By Tanja Maljartschuk

Published by Cadmus Press

Ukrainian version 2012

English translation 2018

Paperback 238 pages

ISBN: 978-4-908793-41-7

Review by Laurisa Hrycyna

Tanja Maljartschuk is a prolific young Ukrainian author who writes both in Ukrainian and German. A Biography of a Chance Miracle is the first of her books to be translated into English. This book is a searing commentary of the social conditions in post-Soviet Ukrainian culture. Through the eyes of its protagonist, Lena, it describes the Soviet baggage which independent Ukraine inherited in the 1990’s and its impact on the population’s psyche of San Francisco, an imagined Ukrainian city named after those who left for America in search of the land of dreams.

Lena’s life journey begins with her parents, Baba Lida, and her best friend whom she calls Dog. It is a poignant tale of what life has become for the citizens of San Francisco. The conversation that Lena has with her Baba in which her grandmother summarizes her life saying, “…I spent my whole life cleaning up. So much effort, so much redone work, and the world’s still not any tidier” rings ever true today.

Lena doesn’t feel like she fits in with the people around her. Her favourite school teacher gives her hope by instilling in Lena the notion that great people would come crawling out of her.

The book is divided into sections and takes us through the mid 1990’s when the concept of the American word business is introduced to the community of San Francisco. New characters pop up in Lena’s journey such as the professor Theophilus Bunny who lectures at the bazaar and I-don’t-give-a-hoot Vasylyna, Lena’s college room mate. Some of the characters are outlandish and comical, and scenes are so absurd, they make the reader want to laugh out loud and cry at the same time.

In our discussion of the book, book club readers were challenged by the word miracle in the book’s title. We would welcome other readers and reviewers to share some insight into its interpretation. 

Lena's quest to live a life with greater meaning is well worth the read.