Breaking a Branch

Olesya Bohdan is the author of the lyrical novella “Breaking a Branch”, which received the third prize at the Smoloskyp literary competition in 2020. A graduate of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, she is both trained and gifted as a writer. She has always worked with texts — first as a copywriter, later as a journalist. Today she combines journalism with managerial work as managing editor at Ukraïner publishing.

This lyrical novella follows a woman returning to the places of her childhood and youth in order to touch what still hurts. Surrounded by river water and willow leaves she attempts to understand herself. Her meeting with her first love becomes an attempt to restore a lost connection; the willow branches they hold seem to begin growing between them. But can such a fragile branch survive where conversation has been replaced by distance and words by water?