Book Review — Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich
I finished reading “Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future” by Svetlana Alexievich two weeks ago, and I am only now realizing I haven’t yet shared my thoughts. First published in Russia but translated into English in 2017, this book by the Nobel Prize-winning Belarusian investigative journalist, essayist, and oral historian, offers a profound and haunting exploration of the Chernobyl disaster.
In April 1986, a series of catastrophic explosions at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor released a torrent of radiation, contaminating the land and poisoning its people for generations. While the Soviet officials scrambled to hush up the incident, Alexievich spent years meticulously collecting testimonies from over 500 survivors — cleanup workers, residents, firefighters, resettlers, widows, and orphans. She masterfully weaves their voices into an oral history that captures the fear, anger, uncertainty, dark humor, and love that permeated their lives post-disaster.
The book opens with the harrowing account of Lyudmila Ignatenko, the widow of a firefighter, Vasily Ignatenko, who was among the first responders to the disaster. Lyudmila, pregnant and herself severely affected by radiation, was warned to stay away from her dying husband. Defying these warnings, she chose human contact, touching and kissing him despite the immense danger to herself and her unborn child. She was told:
“You mustn’t forget this isn’t your husband, it isn’t the man you love, it’s a highly contaminated radioactive object.”
This poignant narrative sets the tone for the book, humbling readers with the courage and love of ordinary people in the face of unimaginable horror.
“Chernobyl is like the war of all wars. There’s nowhere to hide. Not underground, not underwater, not in the air.”
Statistics of the disaster are readily available and indeed shocking, but Alexievich’s work transcends numbers. It delves into the human experience, allowing us to understand the heart-rending realities faced by those affected. Reading their words, empathizing with their misery and fear, and recognizing the enduring suffering of many, makes the tragedy viscerally real. Naturally, it prompts the reader to ponder, “What if…?”
One particularly moving account comes from Valentina Timofeyevna Apanaasevich, whose husband was among the workers drafted by Soviet authorities to labor in the contaminated zone. The cancers caused by radiation exposure brought Valentina face to face with the daily death of her beloved husband and her own happiness. Alexievich’s narrative captures the raw, intense love and the relentless sorrow of Valentina’s ordeal. If her story, and the stories of others within these pages, do not evoke tears, then one has truly lost touch with the essence of humanity.
“We came home. I took off all the clothes that I’d worn there and threw them down the trash chute. I gave my cap to my little son. He really wanted it. And he wore it all the time. Two years later they gave him a diagnosis: a tumor in his brain . . . You can write the rest of this yourself. I don’t want to talk anymore.”
This quote encapsulates the pervasive and insidious impact of the disaster, illustrating the personal toll that numbers and statistics fail to convey.
The Chernobyl disaster remains the worst nuclear catastrophe in history and the costliest disaster in human history, with an estimated financial impact of $700 billion. “Chernobyl Prayer” is not just a chronicle of past events; it serves as a stark warning for our nuclear future. It shows what it means to bear witness and remember in a world eager to forget.
For those familiar with the HBO miniseries “Chernobyl,” much of the narrative is drawn from the memories of Pripyat locals, as told by Alexievich in her book. “Chernobyl Prayer” is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the profound human impact of the disaster. It is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of remembering, lest we repeat the mistakes of the past.
