Black Sunflowers is a book steeped in history, based on the author's mother-in-law's experiences in the Ukraine Soviet Socialist Republic from 1929 to the Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
Overall, Campbell River author Cynthia LeBrun's debut novel is a solid first-time effort. It is obvious and impressive how much research LeBrun put into Black Sunflowers. Anyone with an interest in history or the political relations between Ukraine and Russia should have this book on their "to-read list."
LeBrun was a teacher for 30 years, which included stops at Sayward, Discovery Passage, Oyster River and Pinecrest. She started writing Black Sunflowers 20 years ago.
"It took such a long time because of the research involved to make sure it was historically accurate," she told the Mirror. "As a teacher, I was just very nervous about being called on something not being right, or I made a big mistake."
The novel focuses on two people, Veronika (LeBrun's mother-in-law) and her father, Janek.
It is interesting to watch Veronika grow up. She starts the novel as a child, growing up in Ukraine and still na茂ve about Stalin's ruling fist over the Soviet Union, until two soldiers come to the family barn on Christmas Day to take the family's grain. At this point, the novel starts to take off into the Soviet Famine of 1930-1933 and Holodomor (1932-33), where Ukraine was plunged into a man-made famine due to the Soviet Union's practice of rapid industrialization and collectivization of agricultural, and possibly to eliminate the Ukrainian independence movement.
References to the Soviet practices of Russification and assimilation are made in the book as well. At one point, Janek is told by a Soviet soldier that he should change his Polish last name to something more Russian.
"That way of thinking is over..." the character says. "No one is Polish or Ukrainian anymore. You should change the spelling of your last name to Russian."
From there, the situation gets more tense. Janek lives in fear of his family being deemed kulaks (a wealthy peasant who owned farms and employed labour) by the Soviets. To be called a kulak was dangerous. They were considered traitors to the working class and would either be deported to Siberia or elsewhere. Sometimes, they were even executed.
One drawback of Black Sunflowers is the dialogue. At times, it feels stunted and unnatural. LeBrun also struggles a little with telling rather than showing in some passages. However, the contrasting viewpoints are interesting.
With Janek, the reader sees the horrifying world around them as he does everything he can to keep his family from becoming victims of the famine or the secret police. Veronika's point of view, particularly when she is younger, still maintains the innocence that comes with childhood.
