Disappointing.

I'm really surprised that this book has such good reviews, have the other reviewers read the same book as me?? I thought it was like reading cotton wool. The characters are in Russia, Georgia or USA (according to the back cover) but I was frequently unsure as to exactly where. The city of Tbilisi is mentioned but without any reference as to what country it is in (and I was on holiday and unable to Google it while reading).
I felt that there were some good, if depressing, stories hidden in there, trying to escape - hence the two stars. But it needed some extensive re-writing to produce the crisp effect that is so sucessful with short stories. ( )

Short stories come in all different styles. Some are character studies; others have more of a vignette feel to them, that slice of life view; and then there are short stories that are more plot driven, with a clear beginning, middle and end. Sana Krasikov manages to capture all three in her collection, One More Year. Her characters are richly drawn and fully developed. Their stories are complex and I feel as if, for the instance of each story, I am walking in their shoes. One More Year is made up of stories of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Some have settled in while others still struggle to find their footing. There was not a story I did not like in this collection.

Although well-written heart-wrenching stories, I found it difficult to relate to the characters in Krasikov's stories and struggled to reach the end. Possibly because of that, to me each story seemed to be like the one before it. Overall, I didn't love it, but I think in this case that is more about me than it is about the book. ( )

One More Year was a collection of short stories by new writer, Sana Krasikov. In this book, Krasikov introduced us to memorable characters through eight stories – each focused on Russians and their experiences in America and their homeland.

Each short story dropped the reader in the middle of the action, and after several pages, you get the idea of the story. Each story presented a conflict with love and life, and though it’s focused on Russians, their trials and tribulations are universal: Maia struggled with pleasing her teenage son, who she hadn’t seen in years, and was frustrated with the whole process. Anya had enough of the physical and verbal abuse of her husband, Ryan, and sought protection from his ways. And Regina, who traveled to Russia to see her old friend, and ended up judging her friend when Regina herself was making a similar mistake.

I found it helpful to look up some of the Russian towns and words on Google to help me understand the story better, but one could follow along without this knowledge. I also devoted one night to each story. Many reviewers complained that they tired of the stories, and I found reading one story per day made each one enjoyable.

One More Year is highly recommended to readers who enjoy short stories by women authors and to those who like learning about other cultures. I was reminded of Rose Tremain’s The Road Home when I read some of these stories. Taken in small doses, I found One More Year to be a wonderful depiction of hope and the pursuit for a better life. I look forward to Krasikov’s first novel, which she is working on. ( )

One More Year: Stories by Sana Krasikov is a set of stories about Eastern Europeans. Most of the characters are living in the United States and trying to get by in this country that is so foreign to them. Each of the stories has a message; while I did have personal favorites, objectively speaking, they are all equally good. They are well-written and easy to read.

One thing that impressed me greatly about One More Year: Stories is the character development. Generally, I don't read short stories very often, unless they are by a favorite author or they are a trademark of the author (such as David Sedaris). One of the main aspects I enjoy about books is witnessing character development and watching characters grow before the reader's eyes. Short stories are too short to be able to have significant character development. However, somehow, Krasikov manages to pull it off. In each of her stories, the reader is immersed in the character; though we spend a very short time with each character, the reader gets to know him or her well and watches them grow. It's quite the feat for a debut author; I look forward to seeing what she can do with characters in a novel.

However, there is one thing I didn't like about One More Year: Stories: the lack of variation in the stories. Each of the stories is about betrayal, lies, not being appreciated, etc. By the end of the collection, I felt like each story was more of the same. I gave a short story collection a five star review not to long ago (In the Convent of Little Flowers by Indu Sundaresan [review]) and it was because each story was so different. All of the characters in the stories were Indian, yes, but some were in America, some were in India, some were old, some were young. Some of the stories ended happily, others were tragic; the point is that while the stories did have a common theme, they were each very different. I didn't get that sense with One More Year: Stories. The stories were simply too similar in nature.

I do look forward to seeing what Sana Krasikov does in the future. She's obviously a talented author with a lot of potential!

From S. Krishna's Books ( )