It is the spring of 1938 and Theodore arrives home after completing a two-year sentence for stealing grain. He and his wife Maria have five children. They live in a small shack with Theodore’s sister Anna and her two children.
Theodore makes an arrangement with his sister to buy the land in her name, knowing he will farm it and pay her off in the next year. Being an ex-con he is unable to hold property in his own right.
Theodore still harbors bitterness over his imprisonment and recalls his cell and the endless daily pacing in his mind. He has a drive to make the land produce and feed his family. Unfortunately, Anna’s abusive, carousing and lazy ass husband Stefan returns home after a long sojourn with ideas of his own.
Under This Unbroken Sky is the story of two Ukrainian families who escape the ruthless rule of Stalin to start over in Canada. The author has created a story of family relationships, greed, hardship and torment.
Mitchell’s characters are so memorable they could walk into your life, as if you always knew them. They are more than black on white descriptions on the page, as their personalities live.
Theodore is a proud man and intends to protect and provide for his family at all costs. Their new home is spacious and they use the old shack as a grain bin. Anna and Maria both become pregnant, but he is most concerned with how his sister and children will survive having a deadbeat husband as a provider.
Theo is disgusted with his sister’s lack of ambition and when she turns against him, her fate is sealed. All he can see is what he sees. He has no vision or capability to imagine what lies beneath the surface. Maria and Anna are women caught in a time when husbands were obeyed not questioned.
Mitchell’s writing is edgy and disturbing as the tension of the two families heads toward a collision. The suspense is dramatic and Mitchell ensures your heart will resonate with compassion with this rare unforgettable ending. Under This Unbroken Sky is a significant, sensitive novel that you will not want to miss.
Article comments