For those looking for something to read this March, here is a selection of the most interesting new releases from Ukrainian publishers: from the debut novel of world literature superstar Ocean Vuong to the gothic novel “Villette” by Charlotte Bronte.
“On this Earth, we are beautiful for only a moment,” Ocean Vuong
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Writer Ocean Vuong's fans include Dua Lipa and Björk, and lines from his poetry are quoted on T-shirts from Peter Do's first collection for Helmut Lang. And now, the debut novel of the superstar of contemporary American literature, “On This Earth, We Are Beautiful for a Moment,” has been published by ARTBOOKS.
“On This Earth We Are Beautiful for Only a Moment” is an intimate and at the same time large-scale coming-of-age story, depicted in the form of a letter from a son to a mother who will never be able to read it. The main character, nicknamed Tsutsik, writes to his illiterate mother, trying to overcome the distance with the help of words, to share with her what they could never say out loud. Through this intimate confession, he recreates the story of a family that begins in Vietnam and continues in America – a country that has become for them both a chance for survival and a source of new traumas.
In the first three years since its release, “On This Beautiful Earth We Are Only a Moment” (2019) sold over a million copies in 40 languages.
ARTBOOKS
“Willette”, Charlotte Bronte
If, after a wave of attention to Emily Bronte's Gothic novel “Wuthering Heights”, you want to immerse yourself in romantic literature, let us recall that last year the book “Villette” by the eldest of the Bronte sisters – Charlotte – was published in Ukrainian for the first time. Written in 1853, the novel “Villette” is considered the most intimate, most personal and most frank work of Bronte, known primarily as the author of “Jane Eyre”. As in her other novels, in “Villette” Bronte talks about a woman, her independence and identity in a time when women's freedom was perceived as something surprisingly revolutionary.
The main character of “Willette” is a young Englishwoman, Lucy Snow, who travels from England to France to work in a boarding house for girls. There she experiences adventures, romantic feelings and unrequited love. First of all, “Willette” is interesting as a psychological novel, filled with Lucy's reflections and her thoughts on the role of a woman; and also as a very modern and, of course, brilliantly written work. By the way, Willette in the novel is a fictional city inspired by Brussels, Belgium.
“One more page”
“The Correspondent”, Virginia Evans
American author Virginia Evans' debut novel, The Correspondent, made a lot of noise in 2025: it made the New York Times bestseller list, became The Washington Post's best book of the year, and was nominated for a Goodreads Choice in the “Favorite Debut Novel” category. If you're looking for a light and original read for spring, The Correspondent is a good choice.
The main character, Sybil van Antwerp, is a seventy-year-old divorced woman. After retiring, she tirelessly writes letters: to her brother, a friend, an acquaintance, a neighbor, a customer service representative, writers whose books she has read – to anyone and everyone. She receives replies, but not all of them are friendly. Tender and sincere, this novel explores themes of old age, loneliness, and the power of words and literature, which can be an unexpected salvation in difficult times.
KSD
“The Covenant of Water”, Abraham Verghese
The Water Covenant is an 800-page family saga set in southern India, spanning three generations of a family searching for answers to a strange mystery. So it's a good idea to spend a few weeks in March with this great novel, enjoying the unusual style of Ethiopian-American author Abraham Verghese, a doctor by profession, who in this book immerses us in the world of medical progress.
The novel spans the period from 1900 to 1977, set in Kerala, southern India. It is the story of a family haunted by misfortune: in each of the three generations, at least one person dies by drowning, and each generation tries to undo a mystical curse.
ARTBOOKS
“Darling. We'll come get you soon,” Natalia Ozdemir
The full-scale war has sparked a wave of literature focused on how those most vulnerable, including teenagers and the elderly, experience invasion. This is the subject of the novel “Lyubcya. We'll Come for You Soon” by Natalia Ozdemir, a writer and programmer who has worked in IT for over 20 years.
“Lyubcya” tells the story of 70-year-old Sofia, who lives in Ternopil, and her teenage granddaughter Lyubka from Kherson, whom she has hardly seen and never communicated with. At the beginning of the invasion, due to the occupation of Kherson, Lyubka is sent to her grandmother in Ternopil, telling her: “We will come for you soon,” – and now the girl must build a temporary new life in a new city with a stranger to her. And Sofia, who is used to living alone, has a new task – to save her child. Growing up, losing her home, family – this touching book will appeal to those who have read the novel “Where the Sun Sets” by Olena Pshenichna.
“Laboratory”