'Voices from Chernobyl' by Svetlana Alexievich - Review

An uncountable amount of books were written about Chernobyl; written by well-known authors, scientists or strangers who were encouraged to do so out of pure curiosity. Svetlana Alexievich approaches the Ukrainian catastrophe in a different way. Voices from Chernobyl recounts the aftermath of the nuclear disaster in the form of a memoir - a memoir of folks who provided their voices to elucidate what had happened on the night of April 26, 1986.

1 hour, 23 minutes, 58 seconds on the night of April 26, 1986 - the nuclear power plant Chernobyl explodes. Flames of blue and purple fire engulf the sky above Chernobyl immediately. Citizens of Pripyat - a town situated in close proximity to the nuclear power station - watch this scenery with pure astonishment. From behind their windows, on balconies or outside they watch this innocent-looking fire, breathing the radioactive air. As one community they stand on the ‘bridge of death,’ as it is labelled today, rejoicing from the firework-like occurrence. They are not aware of any danger yet, for the real cause of Chernobyl’s disaster remains secret up to this day.

Despite the Soviet Union’s endeavour to keep the explosion of one of the nuclear reactors in secret, Chernobyl’s catastrophe became immensely talked about topic worldwide. People started exploring the catastrophe itself and who was guilty of it. Chernobyl flooded the market of newspapers, magazines and books. Many literary authors recounted what happened on the fatal night of April 26 and what were the stimulants. Svetlana Alexievich ranks among those authors. Although, her approach distinguishes itself from the others rather substantially.

The first few pages of Voices from Chernobyl are dedicated to the historical concept. Alexievich provides the reader with some fundamental information such as when it happened and how it was perceived worldwide. She mentions dates, places, names. By these pages, Alexievich establishes a rather stable base for the following content of her book. Before she introduces the reader to the memoir, she provides the necessary knowledge to ensure one’s sufficient orientation in the topic.

The majority of the book is composed as a memoir. In spite of the situation’s gravity, a large number of people refused to leave their homes. Many neighbouring villages remained filled with their dwellers a long time after the explosion. Risking her life, Alexievich led her way to the forbidden area to meet those people. She listened to their hardship and collected oral stories. She questioned ordinary people, soldiers and workers who were present in the power station on that fatal night. She questioned everyone who knew something about Chernobyl. It took her years to write down what she was told. There was plenty of it. Eventually, Alexievich pieced all the stories together and originated her novel.

Voices from Chernobyl may serve as a reminder of Chernobyl’s catastrophe - a reminder of the night of April 26, 1986. Labelled as ‘A Chronicle of the Future,’ it is predestined to expose this memorable piece of history to us and several generations yet to come. This memoir may be regarded as a legacy of our ancestors. The legacy of Chernobyl people - a new nation that originated on April 26, 1986.