2005 book 111

marina lewycka's a short history of tractors in ukrainian
this book has been longlisted for the booker award and shortlisted for the saga award for wit--both of which it strongly deserves. it's mostly about two adult sisters who have been feudin' since their mother's death two years earlier, and how they come together in an effort to thwart their elderly father's upcoming nuptials to a much younger (and already married) ukrainian woman. it's also about the primary character's efforts to discover the truth about her family's past in the ukraine in the 1930s and 40s before their emigration to england. anyway, i liked it a lot--lewycka takes a light hand to some potentially heavy themes and weaves a really nice story of family, love, and growing older. also it has some pretty funny bits.