The boundaries between reality and fantasy are so blurred that the plot twists and turns are impossible toВ predict! There are no random details inВ the book, they are all deeply symbolic, and the Greek myths, passed through the heart, gain aВ second life. Poems are harmoniously interspersed inВ prose, giving the story aВ special intimacy. However, the entire text is pure poetry! It seems that aВ magical film about the worlds ofВ water and sky, love and death is unfolding before your eyes.
Of course, Kryuchkova’s prose deserves the highest praise. Surely, it will be translated into many languages and brilliantly filmed!
Irina Antonova,
member ofВ the Union ofВ Writers ofВ Russia,
laureate ofВ literary awards
The newspaper В«PoetogradВ» No. 4В (400), 2022.
http://www.poetograd.ru/arch.html
https://reading-hall.ru/publication.php?id=30662
Ocean, wind, sand and stars
Oh… sea, sea, sea, islands…
The books of Alexander Grin inspired and continue to inspire many poets and writers, and almost every girl dreams of seeing the «Scarlet Sails» on the horizon[2 - The most famous novel of Alexander Grin is called «Scarlett Sails». The main character, named Assol, lives in a seaside village and believes that one day a ship with scarlett sails would come to their pire, and the captain of the ship, named Gray, would marry her.]! The main character of «The Island…» is not an exception, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t often happen in reality that all girls whose fate is initially similar to Assol meet the real Gray, even if he calls himself by this name, being the captain of a ship in fact.
«The Island of Charon» is a temptation, an exam that each of us has to go through. In «The Island» (as well as in «A Trap for a Thought-Form») Alexandra Kryuchkova is filigree-laconic, much remains behind the scenes, being hidden as the real treasure between the lines. The reader feels an understatement that draws him further and further to explore «The Island» in search of answers and clues to the next charades until in the end he is left alone with… himself, or rather, with his Spirit…
It must be said that the author of «The Island of Charon», despite the difficult fate, or, perhaps, thanks to it, has an iron will and an extraordinary strength of the Spirit, and she doesn’t only write books, but she has been active in the field of literature for more than 15 years: holds literary evenings and seminars for contemporary poets and writers, organizes collective projects, including foreign ones, helps new authors on their way to recognition, repeatedly serves on the jury. <…>
Since the Open Literature Club В«ResponseВ» always welcomes and encourages active members ofВ the club, Alexandra got many diplomas ofВ our Club for her contribution toВ the development ofВ literature and the preservation ofВ cultural traditions, for faithful service toВ literature and achievements inВ the field ofВ poetry and prose, for aВ significant contribution toВ the development ofВ Russian-Hungarian and other foreign relations inВ the field ofВ literature and culture, for aВ significant contribution toВ the development ofВ book publishing and active creative and organizational activities within the framework ofВ the Year ofВ Literature inВ the Russian Federation,В etc.
However, one of the distinguishing features of Alexandra Kryuchkova’s prose, despite her own positive image in literary circles, is her obvious dislike of «positive» heroes. So, we find out in «The Island» that the main character, on behalf of which the narrative is conducted, although not a witch, is far from being a saint. In an utterly frank conversation with the reader, leafing through her memories and dreams, Alexandra (because all her prose is autobiographical, as she often mentioned at literary evenings) shows us life as it is without embellishing it and, this is important, without judging anyone. Although, in my opinion, the most important thing is not even that. The author takes the reader by hand and leads him away from the Darkness into «the Ocean of the Divine Light» to cleanse the soul of everything «lower and selfish», to «separate the wheat from the chaff», so that in the end «The Spirit would absorb worthy to be a part of the Creator.»
The book makes you look at your own life differently and understand yourself, recognize your Higher and Lower Selves. I was personally impressed by the unexpected ending, the «second death» in the Cemetery of Memories turns everything inside…
The В«seaВ» poems inВ the book as well as the miniature В«The Girl and the SeaВ», starting the novel, are successfully built into this bright but sad fairy tale, adding refinement toВ the narrative and allowing the reader toВ feel the soul ofВ the main character[3 - All poems areВ published only inВ the original edition. Only one ofВ them was included byВ the author into English version ofВ the book.]. These works were presented byВ Kryuchkova toВ the competition after Alexander Grin В«Running on the WavesВ» 2021, organized byВ the Moscow City Organization ofВ the Union ofВ Writers ofВ Russia together with the MBUK В«Feodosia Literary and Memorial Museum ofВ A. S.В GrinВ» and the House-Museum ofВ A. S.В Grin inВ the town ofВ Stary РЎrym (Republic ofВ Crimea). According toВ the decision ofВ the jury, Alexandra was declared the winner ofВ the competition, and this is no coincidence, because her В«IslandВ» is one ofВ the few books that you can read inВ just aВ day, getting food for your mind for many years.
It should be noted that Alexandra Kryuchkova is aВ true master ofВ words, whose prose is not only metaphysical and mystical but also poetic. She repeatedly became the winner and laureate ofВ literary competitions and awards, including those ofВ the Open Literary Club. So, the novel В«Guardian AngelВ» received the В«Silver AngelВ» award 2015В organized inВ honor ofВ Francoise Sagan, the novel В«Confessions ofВ aВ GhostВ», inВ my opinion, close toВ В«The Island ofВ CharonВ» inВ spirit, got В«The Creator ofВ the WorldsВ» award 2019В after Daniil Andreev, and her bestseller В«The Book ofВ Secret KnowledgeВ» (circulation exceeded 10,000В copies) became the winner ofВ the В«Magical Realism ofВ the XXI CenturyВ» competition after Carlos Castaneda and George Gurdjieff inВ 2020.
However, as for me, В«The Island ofВ CharonВ» is more associated with Exupery, therefore, on behalf ofВ the Open Literary Club В«ResponseВ», IВ am pleased toВ announce Alexandra Kryuchkova the laureate ofВ the literary award В«Ocean, wind, sand and starsВ» 2021В after Antoine de Saint-Exupery!
Lyudmila Koroleva,
member ofВ the Union ofВ Writers ofВ Russia,
Head ofВ the Open Literary Club В«ResponseВ»,
laureate ofВ literary awards
The newspaper В«PoetogradВ» No. 3В (399), 2022.
http://www.poetograd.ru/arch.html
https://reading-hall.ru/publication.php?id=30502
The BOOK inВ original:
ISBN 978-5-0056-0964-9, M.: – Izdatelskie resheniya, 2022. – 216 pages.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SLSKYN1
https://ridero.ru/books/ostrov_kharona/
The booktrailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r19bfyosC9o (https://ridero.ru/link/-KjAdUjXhGi7xB)
Dedication
IВ dedicate my Island
toВ every reader!
As well asВ to:
my son Andrey and our cat Josephine,
the prototypes:
Boris, Grigory and Sergey,
my Greek friends:
Dimitra Drosinos and her husband Dimitris,
Nikos Lageris, the beekeeper, and his wife Nikoletta Firai,
my beloved:
Ouranoupolis, aВ village
on the border ofВ Mount Athos, Greece,
the real Paradise on the Earth,
where IВ wrote this book,
the Islands:
Ammouliani, Greece,
Camotes, the Philippines…
with thanks…
The ISLAND ofВ CHARON
«Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and each one was judged according to his works…» (Rev. 20:13—14)
«Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: over them the second death has no power…» (Rev. 20:6)
«Do not pity the victims and do not condemn the executioners, because they don’t exist on the Earth by themselves, they unmistakably calculate each other, even being in opposite parts of the planet, and go towards each other all their lives to fulfill the destined for them from Above…»
PROLOGUE. The VICTIM and the EXECUTIONER
0.1. The Girl and theВ Sea
Рђmmouliani[4 - Ammouliani is the only inhabited island ofВ Chalkidiki. Located near the peninsula ofВ Athos (Aion-Oros), until 1922В it belonged toВ the monasteries ofВ the Holy Mountain. It was electrified inВ 1973. It has ferry service with the villages ofВ Trypiti and Ouranoupolis. The population is about 540В people, the area is 4.5В square kilometers.],
Greece
В«She used toВ sit for aВ long time byВ the Sea at sunset, the Girl inВ aВ pink dress. Lost inВ thoughts about something, she was gazing into the Sky. There was aВ Mysterious Land inВ the clouds, where winged people lived. Lilac castles beckoned her toВ them, inВ their quaint gardens fabulous flowers were fragrant and magical birds were singing. The wind carried unusual aromas and echoes ofВ enchanting melodies toВ the Girl. And she also saw familiar faces there, they smiled and called the Girl toВ their Heavenly Country, toВ the City ofВ the Sun. She dreamed ofВ getting toВ them, but did not know how toВ do it, because she had no wings.
The Sun was setting into the Sea. Warm waves caressed her legs, singing a quiet kind song that she had heard from her mother when she was still a baby. The Girl looked around, but there was no one on the shore, and she felt completely lonely. The gloomy Rocks did not understand her, because they couldn’t feel anything, however, that was the reason they would never die. The Rocks, as usual, were only watching silently the picture at sunset: the Girl and the Sea.
The Sun was approaching the horizon. The waves were whispering louder and louder. The Magic Country floated away, losing its outlines. The Girl was standing by the Sea, and her tears fell onto the waves, and the Sea became salty…
The seagulls that flew toВ the seashore inВ the evening did not find anyone there. The Sun sank behind the horizon, and the Night came. Somewhere far away inВ the Sky, the seagulls noticed the outlines ofВ an unknown City. They wondered, what kind ofВ City it was, being situated not on the Earth, but inВ the Sky. They had never seen such cities before! And the two most curious seagulls decided toВ make aВ flight toВ the mysterious City, but they had not enough strength toВ reachВ it.
And the Girl disappeared. The Rocks no longer saw her there, on the seashore, at sunset. Only the book left by the Girl on the coastal stone reminded them of her existence…»
«Hmmm…» I closed the book and put it aside. The miniature was written by me at the age of twelve, but sometimes I was drawn to read it again. Every time after returning to reality it seemed to me that I remained the little Assol[5 - Protagonist of the famous book of Alexander Grin «Scarlett Sails». Assol lives in a seaside village and believes that one day a ship with scarlett sails would come to their pire, and the captain of the ship, named Gray, would marry her.], who still didn’t lose hope for…
I was waiting for his letter… I constantly visited my Internet page to check if he had looked at my last post to him…
Yes, yes, yes… At first completely unconsciously and then purposefully, I began to post more and more expressive pictures, signing them briefly, but with a hidden meaning…
My hands were trembling, I was closing my eyes at seeing his name in the list of viewers – oh, he didn’t put me even a like! – but I was jumping, I squealed, «You have not forgotten me! You want me! Well, tell me you want me, too!!!»
That day I made a post with a photo of two waves running towards each other, and I signed it, «Meet?!» And…
He commented the photo, answering me inВ aВ private chat, В«YesВ».
