When I started this project, I decided to read fictional novels as I make my way through our virtual travels of Europe. I could have chosen travel writings or historical chronicles instead, but it was my desire to see these countries through the eyes and the hearts of the artists who love them. This week, I slightly sidestepped my criteria and for the first time chose a different type of book.
In April of 1986, there was a devastating explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine on the border of Belarus. Due to wind and weather patterns at the time, up to 70% of the radioactive fallout landed in Belarus. This event was largely regarded by many to be the most devastating accident in human history.
Approximately ten years after the event, Svetlana Alexievich, a Belaurusian writer who has received the Nobel Prize for her contributions to Literature, traveled to the closest neighborhoods to the impacted area and interviewed people affected by the incident, from all sorts of perspectives: family members of firefighters who initially responded to explosion; those who patrolled the area after evacuations; people who were evacuated from their homes permanently; those who were evacuated and chose to return to their homes; school children; medical professionals, etc.
Part of the reason I chose this book was not only because of its importance to understanding the hearts and perspectives of the people of Belarus, but also because Alexievich's literary style is so poetic and accessible that it reads like a novel or like a series of short stories.
This book completely gutted me and broke my heart. Radioactive impacts seemingly last for generations, and it was so sad to read about decisions that had to be made by those who had been in the area during the blast - many had to forego having children in the future; many walked away from their beloved homes and neighborhoods to try for a fresh start in a new country or region, but the 'Chernobyl' label follows many of them everywhere they go, and younger people had a hard time finding anyone who would take a chance on getting involved with them romantically. Those who haven't passed away due to radioactive impacts are still dealing with related health issues even to this day, 35 years later.
Additionally, reading this book through the current lens of the COVID-19 pandemic made it hit close to home in more ways than I was expecting. It was eye opening to realize that a number of people who lived in the area impacted by radioactivity took the recommended precautions seriously, but many did not. Since they could not see the radioactivity, and since many plants and flowers continued to bloom, some nearby residents embraced conspiracy theories about the blast, and continued to eat food from the ground, wear their clothes, and to live near the blast site.
I was surprised to realize this week how little I had heard about the blast when it happened. Part of the challenge is that Belarus is ruled by an authoritarian dictator and the information that is published tends to be government approved. Svetlana Alexievich has been brave in what she has shared about her homeland, and she lives especially always under the watchful and threatening eye of her government.
This is a heartbreaking, but compelling and quick read. It is a bit gruesome at times (in particular when interviewees are sharing the physical impacts that they and their loved ones experienced. I highly recommend that we all read this book. It has given me not just exposure to a disaster that I did not understand but also a better understanding of how we all react to our circumstances, particularly when they are difficult and traumatic.
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