Narine Abgaryan was once a blogger, and her recent collection of short stories reads like a blog. It consists of 31 brief anecdotes about how common people bear the anguish that inevitably accompanies war. Her theme is how everyday life can erase the aches caused by war. Seen together, these linked stories are a testament to community, courage, and hope.

Abgaryan sets her stories in the rural Armenian village of Berd located in the mountains on the border with Azerbaijan. The countryside is being ravaged by the war between these two countries. Men of all ages are being conscripted to fight and many die. Civilians also are caught up in the fighting as victims of snipers and home invasions. Notwithstanding these historic events, Abgaryan only shows the war as background through hearsay. Instead, her focus is almost entirely on the inhabitants of the village. Despite the blog-like feel of the stories, they to coalesce around common characters and settings.

The tone is hopeful but not naïve. One senses that she believes strongly that these people will survive these tests and everything may work out in the end for them. Abgaryan’s character depictions are rich, and her narratives are sensitive to Armenian traditions, language and culture.

The way we consume media has desensitized us to the brutality, horror, and day-to-day despair of war, but this book slaps you in the face with it. The writing is so mundanely beautiful, and you can tell it comes from a place of love and honor for the land and people that she writes of. Often when we read of war it depicts concentration camps or diaspora, but we so rarely see the lives of those who stayed in their homes and towns, and how their lives are altered as they survive in a warzone. Women are the bearers of culture and community, and this book is beautiful.

I was excited to see this title from Plough as I have enjoyed their magazine and have Armenian friends. Unfortunately, the writing style was not for me and I cannot recommend it, but it does seem like it would appeal to the contemporary LitFic crowd. The stories alternate between present tense (something I am personally allergic to) and third person. I didn't make it far into the collection so consider this an unfair review. The stories struck me as impressionistic, very little plot, and seemingly no character development, just brief glimpses of character. Depending on your tastes, this may appeal to you. I'm sure that my take on this book will be an unpopular one and a minority opinion.

Connected short stories set in an Armenian mountain village after the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan
in the 1990's. Flashbacks show what the people endured during the conflict and the impact of their present day
lives. Resilience of the human spirit shines through as the survivors work to move forward.
#ToGoOnLiving #PloughPublishing #NetGalley

What a lovely, lovely book. Bittersweet, heartbreaking, sad, melancholic, about the pain that lingers long after a war is finished. How war shapes lives not only physically but also mentally and emotionally.
It is the second book by Abgaryan that I read (the first was "They fell like apples from the sky" which I also liked a lot) and I will definitely add her to my "authors to follow" list.

Thank you NetGalley and Plough for providing me a free copy in return to my honest review.

The face of war is cruelty. The heart of war is hope.
As a kid in the 1950s we were always admonished to eat every crumb because of the "starving Armenians". I don't remember any major press during the 1990s when the author and too many others suffered under more war and senseless killing. This collection of vignettes brings the horrors of war and the indominable nature of hope in the face of such cruelty to life.
Originally published in Russian in 2021
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Plough Publishing House via NetGalley.
Avail Apr 22, 2025
#ToGoOnLiving by Narine Abgaryan with translators Margarit Ordukhanyan and Zara Torlone @ploughpublishing #Armenia #ArmenianGenocideRemembranceDay April 24 #wars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

There are 31 vignettes of life in the wartorn backdrop of an Armenian mountain village following the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the early 1990’s. I had to read this book a little bit at a time as it poignantly and vividly illustrates the unbearable burden of loss. For instance, a man who easily fits under the doorway stoops and hunches over each time he leaves home as he knows deep inside his soul he is leaving the love and safety of his home, and carries the burden of leaving his family alone.

Part of the acclaim for the book included: “Like a string of sharp shards of gems; an exquisite read” by Moni Kozi. I don’t think I can find any better way to describe the tales in this book.

“With what yardstick do you measure pain?”

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

I'm not usually a short story reader, but the interconnectedness of these stories and the lives of the people in Berd kept me reading. This is a book, not about the big issues that lead to conflicts, but about the resilience of the people in this small corner of Armenia. Abgaryan, with the help of translators Ordukhanyan and Torlone, has crafted a collection that is both contemporary and timeless as she writes about war in a book that is ultimately about hope.

My first encounter with Abgaryan and I am blown away by her writing style! Did not find, until her, so much hope in stories where death is overwhelmingly present.

To Go On Living is a masterful exploration of the human capacity for endurance and renewal in the face of profound loss. Narine Abgaryan’s storytelling is both tender and unyielding, offering readers a window into the lives of those who persist in the aftermath of tragedy. Through its vivid characters, lyrical prose, and universal themes, the book affirms the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of community.

Narine Abgaryan does a great job in writing this collection of stories and was invested in what was happening. I enjoyed the concept of this book and was glad everything flowed well. I loved the use of Armenian villages going on and thought it was realistically done.

I received a free copy of, To go On Living, by Narine Abgaryan, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book has stories about war and hope. Narine grew up in Armenia, at a very difficult time. This was a good read.

The relentless sorrow of people living in the hills of Armenia during war cannot overcome their dignity and connectedness; their perseverance gives me hope for humanity. These stories, full of painful beauty, are difficult to get through, but well with the effort. In spite of never having lived in a war zone, I feel a commonality with these far-away people that makes me wonder how anyone can really go to war.

A heart-breaking and haunting collection of 31 interwoven stories set in an Armenian village.

Regardless of how much history you know going in, this book is guaranteed to ruin you and stay with you forever. Full of soul and crafted with care and love. What a brilliant writer!

Thank you so much Plough Publishing for my ARC!