❦
SCREAM, NIGHTINGALE, SCREAM
notes
——————————————————
WHAT'S MORE COMMON IN WAR:
LOYALTY OR BETRAYAL?
April 1944. After so-called liberation from both the Nazis and the Soviets, Ukraine remains a battleground between resistance fighters and the ruthless Soviet secret police working to break them at all costs.
Amidst the chaos, Taras Savaryn, an apathetic cavalry captain, gets roped-in to stealing morphine for his unit commander. Out of spite, he decides to bring along Vika Yeryomenko, a quick-witted sniper, with the secret hope she'll be able to restore his faith in Ukraine's fight for freedom.
But soon enough, the mission reveals itself to be simply suicidal and Taras finds himself trying to reverse his decision... and atoning for all others.
see them once, through my eyes
TARAS SAVARYN
VIKTORIYA YERYOMENKO
"scream, nightingale, scream" is my love letter to ukraine and it could not have been finished at a more pressing time.
the second russian invasion of ukraine began on february 24, 2022. the first was in 2014, mere days after ukraine's revolution of dignity, in which russia invaded the crimean peninsula and donbas region. over 14,000 have died in the donbas war, which is nearing its eight year anniversary. as for the current war, the civilian and military casualties and the refugee numbers are only estimates.
the most alarming stat is this: ukrainians and russians are dying everyday. that's unacceptable.
we must also look to history and reminder ourselves that this is not the first time ukrainian sovereignty has been infringed. over the course of the 20th century, the ukrainian people fought for their independence three times from 1917-1922, 1939-1951, and in 1991 respectively.
"scream, nightingale, scream" focuses on the world war ii era, 1939-1951, at the height of the ukrainian nationalist movement in 1944. it also contains on-the-page depictions of war time violence, references to sexual violence, drug/alcohol usage, strong language, and depictions of of anti-ukrainian/polish/russian sentiment. there will be no content warnings at the start of chapters, so please take care and read at your own risk.
as of 25 january, i am also pleased to announce that "scream, nightingale, scream" was selected as the first place winner in the 2022 historical awards hosted by HistoricalFiction! i am deeply honored that the judges selected a story of ukrainian resistance for their awards.
finally, thank you for supporting my work. and, as always, don't forget to vote, comment, and add "scream, nightingale, scream" to one of your reading lists.
слава україні! героям слава! смерть ворогам!
glory to ukraine! glory to its heroes! death to its enemies!
copyright © 2022 elle chaika.
this novella or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a review.