Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary
By Victoria Amelina
Foreward by Margaret Atwood
Published by St. Martin’s Press
February 18, 2025
320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250367689 | ISBN-13 : 978-1250367686
Review by Karen Yarmol-Franko
Our Rozmova discussion of Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary by the late Victoria Amelina centred on the author’s commitment to seeking justice for her country and its citizens amid a brutally unjust war. A novelist and children’s writer turned war crimes researcher and documentarian, Amelina records what is happening on the ground during this unimaginable invasion. She conveys the horrors through the eyes of women who have set aside their careers and dreams—as lawyers, farmers, museum curators, artists, and writers—to fight for Ukraine. They become war crimes investigators, humanitarian aid drivers, cultural guardians preserving historical manuscripts, art and literature, and soldiers.
Amelina herself puts fiction aside to document war crimes with Truth Hounds, speaking with those who have endured them and lived to tell their stories. She affirms that recognizing individual stories is essential, even though she holds little faith that the perpetrators will ever be brought to justice.
Our discussion explored what drives the remarkable resilience and commitment of the Ukrainian people to their country and to justice. Throughout history, Ukrainians have faced repeated threats and aggression, and they have reached a point where they refuse to yield. They see themselves as part of Europe. They demand autonomy and democracy. They insist on normalcy and safety. After four years of full-scale war, they continue to fight for their country, their culture, and their people.
How can those of us in the diaspora support them? Financial contributions remain essential, but so does sustained advocacy: lobbying governments, the UN, and other international bodies; supporting sanctions; keeping Ukraine in the public eye through rallies, editorials, and the exposure of war crimes; and organizing cultural events that preserve and promote Ukrainian art, music, dance, and literature.
Amelina’s book was said to be sixty percent complete when she died. The editorial group wrote in the afterward: “Life has taught us that there is only one way to deal with the pain: to continue the work of the people we love.” They incorporated Amelina’s outlines and notes, including some abbreviations, fragments and partial sources which makes the narrative rather fragmented, choppy and raw. Rozmova members expressed that while seemingly disjointed and sometimes hard to follow, this mimicked the shelling and shattering and interruptions of war. The editors did not “complete” the book but pulled together the best version they could from earlier drafts, inserting footnotes to explain their additions.
“The quest for justice has turned me from a novelist and mother into a war crimes researcher. I’ve done this to uncover the truth, to ensure the survival of memory, and to give justice and lasting peace a chance.” – Victoria Amelina
Amelina is truly a “literary activist,” as Andrey Kurkov describes her. Margaret Atwood calls her a “recording angel.” Through her courageous—and ultimately fatal—work, Amelina bore witness to the outrages and war crimes being committed during the conflict. In telling the story of this war, she has fulfilled her pursuit of justice.
For biographical information on Victoria Amelina, see the following sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Amelina
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/03/novelist-andrey-kurkov-on-victoria-amelina
https://youtu.be/epUabqXs_iU?si=7urXcXT9q0PQMwqW