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The dark nights were endlessly long and black envy crawled into his heart…
A vile act of treachery has bitter repercussions for two brothers sworn to mutual loyalty who have built a new community on the Ukrainian steppes during the early days of the Kozak state. A crippled man swears vengeance on his persecutor and commits his descendants to the unrelenting pursuit of revenge on his foe’s family.
Fierce enmity still divides the families of Zhmailo and Hromyka many generations later. It enmeshes the innocent Doryna, the sensitive daughter of a wealthy and arrogant Zhmailo descendant who wants her married off. Against the odds, she is introduced to a well-travelled stranger and is captivated by the alluring Roman. Doryna and Roman are instantly smitten but then realise they are from two warring tribes.
The power of their love is balanced by an obligation to their parents that propels star-crossed Doryna and Roman and their people towards confrontation.
True love awakens Doryna’s courage and shows Roman that forgiveness is possible, and like two streams, they wash over the obstacles blocking their union. But their honourable emotions only inflame the jealousy of Doryna’s vicious father. Succumbing to an almost vampiric rage, he plots an involved punishment for the lovers.
“The Living Grave” is a Gothic folk tale from 1889 that reimagines life on the steppes of Ukraine centuries ago. It describes a defiant romantic union that suffers from barbarism and implacable hatred, mirroring the nationalistic struggle experienced by the author Liudmyla Starytska-Cherniakhivska.
Additional reading:
Gothic Tales from Stalin’s Enemies in Ukraine.
Book Reviews of our First Two Gothic Publications.
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