Marina Lewycka tells more than A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
There may be tractors in Marina Lewycka's book, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, but it isn't a book about tractors. And even though the book does, in fact, give the history of tractors, it isn't a history book.
Rather, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is a story about family. The history of tractors is a parallel story to that of Nadezhda, Vera, and their elderly father, Kolya.
At first glance, it seems nothing more than the most mundane of themes. What could possibly be exciting about tractors? How could the story of an old man falling for a pretty, young, blonde, gold digger be anything but stereotypical and trite?
Yet both these stories hold surprises and hidden appeal. They take unexpected turns that make it worthwhile to look beyond the surface. No, things aren't always as they appear. More importantly, even when things are as they appear, they aren't always motivated by what we assume is the motivator.
Take the story of the tractors. The novel's title is the title of the book that the father is writing — and he's writing it in Ukrainian. Yes, it's a story of engines and factories, belts and ploughs. It is also the story of a world moving from individual farmers working their land to a collectivization that turns farming into industry. It's a story of the human price exacted by technology. It also explores the idea that tractors may have played a larger hand in world events that we traditionally give them credit for.
Then there is the story of the family. Life and stubbornness has driven bitter wedges between what's left of them. The sisters bicker over their mother's legacy and are united only in plotting to remove the foreign, predatory invader whose claws are sinking into their father. While they may have come from the same parents, a 10-year age difference and vastly disparate childhood circumstances mean the two women are about as unlike as can be. They each think that they understand the other and are reluctant to wrestle with new truths that might let them achieve true empathy.
Kolya is ultimately pitiable, despicable, and adorable. An 84-year-old emigre, he claims a mix of political idealism and a desire to fondle large breasts as his reasons for rescuing Valentina and helping her to emigrate to England. He too is a product of his experiences and can never quite adjust to modern life nor understand motivations that are different from his own.
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian tells of Kolya's marriage to a 36-year-old bombshell and all that she does to drain him dry. The sisters step in when they see their father being taken advantage of and abused, but they have a difficult time getting their father to see with clear eyes.
Lewycka presents this tale in the first-person narrative of Nadezhda, the younger sister who wants to be bemused by her father and who has no use for her sister's cynicism. It's easy to fall in with her viewpoint as Nadezhda is a clear-spoken narrator who can turn delightful phrases. Early on, we can see what treats Lewycka has in store for us when echoes of Shakespeare are woven into page two:
The grown-up me is indulgent. How sweet, this last late flowering of love. The daughter me is outraged. The traitor! The randy old beast! And our mother barely two years dead. I am angry and curious. I can't wait to see her, this woman who is usurping my mother.
It's also amusing to listen to her internal rants about her soon-to-be stepmother's Botticellian breasts, Crap Car, and meal-in-a-bag methods of cooking. There's a quirky appeal that doesn't induce out-loud guffaws or side-splitting laughter, but constant smirks and a light, internal enjoyment.
Lewycka weaves in many different themes from elder care, sex, war, labor camps, betrayal, secrecy, and immigration. In her desire to uncover the history of her family, she must face the question about whether it is better to know a story or not to know it, for as she discovers, once you "know," you cannot "unknow."
At 294 pages, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian isn't a heavy read, but I wouldn't necessarily call it light reading either. Rather it is a book whose imagery, phrasing, and ideas linger on after the pages have been turned.
