A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian – Marina Lewycka                  8/10

Lewycka’s debut novel is the story of an elderly, widowed father Nikolai Mayevskyj and his two daughters Vera and Nadezhda, our narrator. Two years after his wife’s death Nikolai plans to marry a glamorous, young Ukrainian woman, Valentina, who is 50 years his junior and trying to obtain UK citizenship. The book details the ensuing events and the reactions of each of the characters, particularly the two sisters who were at one time estranged, but now come together to face a common enemy in Valentina.

The novel is a treatment of family interaction and especially how the desires or actions of one family member influence the others. The two sisters, and indeed the reader, are able to see at once that Valentina is little more than a gold digger, after any money she believes Nikolai has, as well as a UK passport and has no genuine feelings for him. Nadezhda routinely faces a conflict of emotions between happiness for her father who is besotted, and distrust of this women who is 10 years younger than she is even, and clearly taking her father for a ride.

At once it is easy to see why this novel has been a commercial success. Lewycka’s writing style is eminently readable, with short paragraphs that always feel they are the end of a passage before another one breaks, drawing the reader in.

The characterisations are strong, but stereotypical. Are all Eastern Europeans short tempered and irrational? In this book they are! But that is part of the charm and is certainly the driving force behind the comedy which is well thought out, if almost slapstick in exaggeration at times, yet very enjoyable. The non-Ukrainian characters such as Nadeshda’s husband Mike, or Nikolai’s grandchildren really take a back seat role, they are almost faceless in comparison to the overtly outrageous Ukrainians.

For the most part the book is a dark comedy. It is the comedy of a family bickering, which is something all readers can relate to, but there is love in the family too and these counteracting forces make the family real. The descriptions of Valentina are deliberately outrageous, her ample bosom is mentioned on numerous occasions and the way in which she manipulates the various male citizens of Peterborough is farcical. Nikolai is a great comic character too, eccentric to the core in his home made nightshirt and ‘Toshiba’ micro-waved apples. Yet there is intelligence about both of them, Valentina’s is perhaps conniving and Nikolai’s is driven by engineering, but they are real.

There are some sombre moments too though; the book is tapped with emotion, particularly the Christmas day scene at the Indian restaurant which is complete with no heating, poorly cooked food, a leering waiter and leaves the reader feeling stark about this family’s chances of happiness.

Interspersed throughout the tale are extracts from the book Nikolai is writing ‘A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian’, which are less about actual tractors and more about history and sociology. These passages are used to add weight to the sub-plot between the two sisters as they reconcile with each other through Nadezhda learning more about her family history.

The Mayevskyj family history is very much intertwined with that of early twentieth century Ukraine. Lewycka wants the reader to learn more about her country of origin, complete with hardships from the past and the social-economic crisis that Ukraine is in currently. Britain is praised as a safe haven of multiculturalism and whilst the book probably steers away from our own insecurities with immigration, it is a subject that is touched upon and our society is viewed as mature and one of rational law.

The book is a triumph of believable characterisation and I thoroughly recommend it. Even if the ending is perhaps a little predictable, the comic nature of the tale left me smiling. It is not rolling in the aisles funny, but then I don’t think it set out to be.