In Sam Wachman‘s debut novel, The Sunflower Boys, brothers Artem and Yuri embark on a journey after war kills their family in rural Ukraine. As the journey unfolds, so does a beautifully constructed character study of Artem’s identity, loss of innocence, and blossoming love for his best friend.
Before writing his debut novel, Wachman taught English to primary schoolers in central Ukraine and worked with refugee families in Europe and the United States. His work has also appeared in Sonora Review, Berkeley Fiction Review, and New England Review.
We asked him to answer our recurring My Reading Life Q&A so readers could get to know her and the books that shaped his story.
Continue reading “My Reading Life: The Sunflower Boys author Sam Wachman wants to shoutout Cindy, his neighborhood librarian”