Endling

Endling shouldn’t be funny, but it is - very. Set in Ukraine just as Putin invades, it features three young women, on two different missions, in one vehicle. Structurally wild and playful, Endling is also heart-rending and angry. It examines colonialism, old and neo, the role of women, identity, power and powerlessness, and the very nature of fiction-writing. Maria Reva also tells a riveting, unique story; the shock is that this is her first novel. It’s a book about the world now, and about three unforgettable women, Yeva, Nastia and Solomiya, travelling together in a mobile lab. The endling, by the way, is a snail * Booker Prize *Maria Reva has made a fantastic novel. It’s about so much and yet is laser focused. A scientist who funds her research with sex work, a wild and, at the same time, sensible and normal move. This novel turns corners and tables. I love works that are smarter than I am and this is one – Percival Everett, author of Booker-shortlisted JAMESIn Maria Reva’s all-around brilliant novel Endling, the fate of some snails serves as a harbinger for the fate of Ukraine. The book is funny and smart, full of science, longing and adventure, all the while reminding us what the world stands to lose, and what it has already lost. This is essential reading – Ann Patchett, bestselling author of TOM LAKEHeartbreaking, hilarious, profound, and vital, Endling is a brilliant, visceral journey that pulses with a powerful sense of urgency and relevance to our times – Lara Prescott, bestselling author of THE SECRETS WE KEEPA fierce and funny road-trip novel which is - literally - interrupted by Russia’s invasion * Guardian, The 50 hottest books to read right now *Inventive and powerful. The reminders that these characters are fiction emphasises that the horror and the violence are real * Sunday Times *A thrilling ride … Tender but never mawkish … Reva is breaking down the molecules of fiction to get at a ‘broader, truer truth’ through her combination of drama, self-examination and, notably, humour * Financial Times *A dexterous and formally inventive debut novel … Reva shares with us personal details about her connection with Ukraine, as well as her awareness of the war and the artistic challenge she faces: can anyone in good conscience make fiction out of these tragic events? The answer to that question is resoundingly affirmative. * Marcel Theroux, Guardian Book of the Day *A stunning debut … [its] formal adventurousness demonstrates the depth that the novel can bring to issues we struggle to reckon with * Observer *I was gripped by Yeva’s journey across her beautiful, war-ravaged country with her fragile yet hardy snails, a symbol of hope and endurance even when death seems inevitable. Brilliant – Sara Lawrence * Daily Mail *Suspenseful and powered by a rare urgency * Mail on Sunday *Startling and ambitious * New York Times *Brilliant and heart-stopping * Los Angeles Times *Remarkable … Reva tests the boundaries of storytelling with freshness and humour * Washington Post *Animated by dark humor and cool fury * New Yorker *A virtuosic debut novel … Starting out as a straightforward story about a Ukrainian biologist, this witty, shape-shifting book turns into something trickier and more interesting … Indeed, for all her humor and brio - she’s never, ever preachy - Reva knows what she’s joking about * NPR *Maria Reva’s dazzling debut novel Endling will take you on a ride you will never forget. Into this brilliant stew of a novel the fearless Reva stirs Ukraine’s notorious “romance tour” industry, feminist activists, a kidnapping caper, the fine science of snail conservation, the eternal mysteries of family dynamics and Europe’s first major land war since World War II. Only a supremely talented writer could handle material like this, and Reva–who seems incapable of writing a dud sentence–shows she’s more than up to the task. Open this book, fasten your seatbelt, and brace for impact – Ben Fountain, prize-winning author of BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALKWild, exhilarating, heartbreaking…Over and over again, Endling delivers flashes of beauty and grace and dares us to see hope amidst wreckage and ruin – Anelise Chen, author of CLAM DOWNIronic, sharp, and wise, this is a big (meta)fictional achievement – Karan Mahajan, author of THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBSThis work on feminist outrage, environmental destruction, and the inhumanity of war is not didactic; instead, it is a page-turning, genre-bending meta-novel as entertaining as it is gut-wrenching, whose experiments with literary form will keep readers on their toes * Library Journal (starred review) *Full of suspense and humor, while never letting go of what is really happening in the lives of Ukrainian people at home and abroad … A noteworthy literary achievement and also a good story, sure to be widely discussed and enjoyed. * Kirkus (starred review) *Astonishing … this inspired and urgent novel is bound to make a major splash * Publisher’s Weekly (starred review) *Gripping … neither a work of magical realism nor auto-fiction or memoir, but an original piece encapsulating elements of all three’ * NZ Herald *Playful … never boring – John Self * The Times *[A] smart, funny novel … Reva is a complete original … a huge amount of fun * Daily Telegraph *

Maria Reva was born in Ukraine and grew up in Canada. Her story collection, Good Citizens Need Not Fear, won the Kobzar Book Award and was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Fiction Prize. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, Granta, The Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere. She also works as an opera librettist.