One Ukrainian Summer – A Memoir by Viv Groskop

One Ukrainian Summer transports readers to autumn 1993, when Viv, on the cusp of her 21st birthday, embarks on a study year in a USSR that has just dissolved. Expecting a dive into history and politics, Viv instead finds herself swept into local punk rock scenes—and into the orbit of Bogdan Bogdanovich, a charismatic Ukrainian guitarist who promises her “one Ukrainian summer” if she survives the harsh winter.

Through lively anecdotes—debating Levi’s jeans, sharing cigarettes, and dancing in dive bars—Viv captures a moment of youthful discovery, cultural reckoning, and romantic warmth, set against the backdrop of a collapsing Soviet state. This memoir is not just a coming-of-age story, but a vibrant love letter to a fleeting, hopeful era.

Awarded praise from The Observer for being “evocative, amusing… a redolent, wryly honest memoir,” and celebrated by The Spectator for its openness and lightness of touch