Amsterdam – Kyiv. And a Little Bit of Saint Nicholas by Halyna Rys

This story begins at an airport when two suitcases are confused because they are alike. In the best traditions of melodrama, one belongs to a woman, the other – to a man. Who are these strangers whose paths accidentally cross? One character is Torn between her career and her family, Olena from Ternopil harbours a secret passion – at night she writes her novel. The second character ownes a small Lviv-based shop selling art supplies, Marko dreams about creating masterpieces like those of Van Gogh.
Once at home, they discover they have picked up someone else’s luggage. Olena is shocked to find little else but Dutch souvenirs in her suitcase. However, Marko finds something extraordinary in his – a half-written manuscript about Saint Nicholas and his life before he became legendary. Marko is eager to return this lost text to its author.
The plot unravels against chronicles of the earliest Christians and Nicholas aka Nikolaos the Wonderworker, whose fame has lived on. This is a light read about love and miracles that can really happen.

About the Author
Born in Lviv, Halyna Rys acquired a master’s degree in visualising literature at the Free University Amsterdam. Currently, she is working on her PhD at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Rys writes magical realism books for adults, teens, and children, including her stories A Unique Potato and Travel to Kotaniya, and her novel Draw Me As a Bird.