Stone — A Historical Novel about Soviet Ukraine and the USSR (1920s–1940s)

The Arrest   Stone — Book One: First Steps Toward the Light and Back  — Chapter 6   by Volodymyr Shablia August 1941. The village of Tomakivka.   Late on an August evening, an anxious, restless mood hung over the Shablia household: his parents were preparing Peter for his journey. “Your work assignment?” his father asked for what seemed like the hundredth time, briskly checking everything. “Your passport? Money? Your military registration certificate? It’s wartime now—they could mobilize you at any moment. You need to have all your documents with you.” Peter's work assignment. Peter checked his papers once again. Everything was in order. Meanwhile, his mother brought a bundle from the pantry. “Take some more pork fat, just in case. It may come in handy.” The woman looked at her son with a mixture of love, pity, and a strange sense of resignation. She held out the food wrapped in parchment paper, but could not hold back her tears. Then, realizing that he...

  The NKVD Problem Stone — Book One: First Steps Toward the Light and Back  — Chapter 5   by Volodymyr Shablia August 1941. The village of Tomakivka. The black NKVD van known as a “Black Raven,” belonging to the Zaporizhzhia Regional Directorate, had been searching for Soviet Street in the village of Tomakivka for nearly an hour, and still could not find it.   The village was not under the Directorate’s jurisdiction, and it was already close to eleven o’clock at night. After a sweltering day of hard work, most of the villagers were sleeping peacefully. Hardly anyone in the vast settlement even knew of the inconspicuous street, recently renamed “Soviet,” which looked more like a shabby lane than a proper street. NKVD officers beside the dreaded “Black Raven,” the vehicle that came to symbolize arrest, disappearance, and fear in Stalin’s Soviet Union. At least, of the dozen or so local residents the state security officers had managed to encounter in Tomakivka, not one...

  The Name — Peter Stone — Book One: First Steps Toward the Light and Back  — Chapter 2   by Volodymyr Shablia January 1920.  The village of Tomakivka , Ukraine . Danylo returned from work toward evening. His mother-in-law came out to meet him, a newborn in her arms. “Congratulations, Danylo! You’re a father. Mariia has given you a son. The boy was born prematurely, but he’s healthy. And Mariia seems to be feeling a little better, too.” Iryna handed the bundle to her son-in-law. The unexpected news left the new father stunned. A whirlwind of conflicting feelings, thoughts, and emotions swept through his mind: ‘A son, an heir! But premature?! And what about typhus? What if he gets sick? I’ve dreamed of having a son all my life! He’ll be Alexander—that’s my favorite name. Hurray!’ Danylo took his son into his arms. The moment he saw him, he fell in love with the beautiful little creature. Afraid of hurting him, yet unable to resist the temptation, the father ...

  A new personal essay has just been published on Medium. In "How Three Generations of My Family Nearly Disappeared from Memory," I share the true story behind the creation of my historical biographical novel Stone . The article is not about promoting a book. It is about something much more universal: how easily the memories of ordinary families can disappear forever, and why preserving them matters. If you enjoy family history, memoir, or historical storytelling, I hope you will find it meaningful. Read the full article on Medium.