To Go On Living by Narine Abgaryan is a deeply human story following the lives of thirty-one people living in a small, Armenian village. Separate but connected these stories share the raw first hand experiences post the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the 1990s. Each character has a unique story to tell and that is shown as they go about their days.

Abgaryan paints a very realistic story through these characters and their experiences. While the book is short it's length does not dampen it's impact and emotional intensity.

I would like to start this review off by giving my thanks to Plough Books and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of this collection.

I found the translation for this collection of short stories to be absolutely beautiful, and I believe that Margarit Ordukhanyan and Zara Torlone have done an amazing job of keeping the emotion of the original writing intact while giving new readers the opportunity to read Narine Abgaryan's work. I hope that, with this being published, more people will be able to learn about and understand the pain of the Armenian war and its effects on those who lived through it.

The writing is incredibly poetic, which I think captured the horrors and heartbreak of the war perfectly. Each story is laced with the melancholy that can only come out of something so brutal and traumatic, and Abgaryan does not shy away from the details at all– which is a necessary wake up call, I believe, as people need to start facing the realities of these events. It is not meant to be comfortable, it is meant to be sickening, and upsetting, and difficult to read, because that is exactly what war is.

Each story is linked with the next, as it follows the townspeople through the war. While I would have liked a little more historical context, it is ultimately not the point of this collection. The point is to bring to light what the people of Berd went through, and continue to go through in the aftermath of war, and Abgaryan has done a beautiful job of that.

To Go On Living tore my heart into shards but also mended it back together with hope and tenderness. This remarkable book is comprised of poignant short stories in the aftermath of war and details courage, the deepest of sorrows, folk tradition and culture, tragedy, community, survival, and the human spirit.

The the mountain village of Berd, Armenia, borders Azerbaijan and in the 1990s it was ravaged by war. Some villagers decided to or had to remain in the warzone. Each short story details the repercussions.

Armenia's culture and traditions are fascinating to learn about but oh, the characters! So real with vivid and stark emotions and painful reactions to grief. Conscription was a reality. Many people were injured and worse and death revealed itself in many forms. Life had to go on no matter how famished or injured one was. Everyday life was a blessing in ways yet also a cruel reminder.

This novel is like a landscape painting, raw and beautiful, with various hidden elements which can at first seem ordinary but grab you as you realize how multilayered it is. The depth is tragic and painful and sharp. Many concepts and comments caused me to really think, such as by whose yardstick should one measure pain and the observation that life is fairer than death.

Though difficult to read, this book is powerful and impactful. It moved me to tears and gave me goosebumps. My reading experience with it was breathtaking! It has HEART. Do be sure to read the author notes for further information.

4.5⭐️

[a copy of this book was provided to me by the published from netgalley. thank you!]

i thought that the prose was absolutely beautiful, and the characters were well thought through with their own original identities. beautiful translation

Thank you to Plough Publishing House and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

This was a hard one to read, but only because of the tragic history of it all. It was also beautifully inspirational, showcasing the human spirit and vitality in the face of extreme adversity. It humanizes those whose lives have been torn apart by war and is something we still need even after all these decades later. History textbooks broaden the scope of such historical events, while anthologies like these narrow it down to show that were people in this event. People that have their own lives, their own personal histories. Books like this put names and faces to events that likely get glossed over in many ways. It also reminds us of how horrific war is on even the smallest scales.

I think this would make an excellent addition to any history collection that needs more specific accounts of certain events, as well as any humanitarian collection. It's tough to read, but so worth it.

This was a selection of connected character short stories surrounding war, grief and love. A completely different read for me and it was hard to get through, but so eye opening. Harrowing stories that unfortunately are still prevalent in 2025.

I just finished the most inspirational book of short stories. I love hearing about people overcoming obstacles. Watch for To Go On Living.

Already after the first of the thirteen stories, a lump formed in my throat. This is a heavy read—one that brought tears to my eyes. The stories, full of painful beauty, are difficult to get through, portraying the absolute ugliness of war and its lasting impact on those close to it. Yet, amidst the heartbreak, there’s a simple, mundane beauty in the glimpses of life in the rural Armenian village of Berd and the enduring bonds between its people. My only struggle was that, ultimately, I almost started mixing up the characters due to their interconnected backgrounds.

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.