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Maria Reva's 'Endling': War's Impact on Fiction Explored

10/10/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Maria Reva's debut novel Endling, inspired by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, examines how war shapes fiction.
The plot centers on a kidnapping against men in Ukraine's romance industry and a subplot about conserving endangered snails.
Endling humanizes ordinary Ukrainians and has been shortlisted for the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and longlisted for the Booker Prize.

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Story summary

Maria Reva's debut novel Endling, inspired by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, examines how war shapes fiction.
The plot centers on a kidnapping against men in Ukraine's romance industry and a subplot about conserving endangered snails.
Endling humanizes ordinary Ukrainians and has been shortlisted for the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and longlisted for the Booker Prize.