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Washington Post
12 hours ago
- Health
- Washington Post
A playfully inventive novel set in Ukraine asks serious questions
Upon an initial reading, Maria Reva's remarkable debut novel, 'Endling,' might be categorized several different ways: a war novel about modern-day Ukraine; a metafictional tale that examines the ethics of writing about conflict and violence; a satirical send-up of the mail-order bride industry in Ukraine; a biologist's quest to save the last remaining snail of a species. Amazingly, 'Endling' is all these things. Reva was born in Ukraine, moved as a child with her family to Canada, and was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2020, she published a linked story collection, 'Good Citizens Need Not Fear,' about the disparate residents of a decaying building block in the small Ukrainian town of Kirovka in the 1980s. Instead of looking back a few decades, much of 'Endling' animates the devastation of present-day Ukraine since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. At the novel's onset, the reader meets Yeva, a renegade biologist who is trying to save a snail named Lefty (hence 'Endling,' a term used to describe the last survivor of a dying species). Not surprisingly, Yeva prefers snails to the company of humans. She lives in a battered RV, which also doubles as her mobile lab. Reva writes: 'Snails! There'd been a time when she would tell anyone who'd listen how amazing these creatures were. How the many gastropod species have evolved to live anywhere on the planet, from deserts to deep ocean trenches. How they have gills to live in water, or have lungs to live on land — some, like the apple snail, possess one of each, to withstand both monsoons and droughts.' Yeva meets Nastia and Sol, sisters who are working for the same 'romance tour' (a euphemism for a mail-order bridal business), and moonlights for them to fund her ongoing snail research. The young women are looking for their mother, a radical activist who used to fight 'against many evils, particularly the international bridal industry.' As part of this effort, Nastia hatches a plan to kidnap a band of bachelors, hoping that potential media coverage of the exploit will attract their mother's attention. Invoking the spirit of Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick,' Reva writes about Nastia's feelings for Yeva's RV: 'Every time she saw the thing — lumbering, white, speckled with rust — she felt a tinge of relief mixed with excitement. It seemed to grow larger every time she saw it, a great whale about to swallow a hundred men whole. It was the key to her plan.' This is one of the reader's first hints that this narrative is tipping toward epic proportions and has no intentions of staying constrained within traditional narrative conventions. Soon, Russia invades — and the novel we've been reading up to this point is interrupted. In Part II, the reader is introduced to the first-person voice of author Maria Reva. She is struggling to write her first novel in her parents' attic in Canada, and her agent, Rufus Redpen (ha!), is touching base about the manuscript, which is well past overdue. 'My words drag along, on the verge of falling apart, but isn't this precarious place where true Art lives?' Reva writes. After she attempts to describe the novel, Redpen responds that the project sounds like merely 'a bunch of yurts,' or 'hobbled nubs of narrative, barely connected.' Then, 'Endling' swerves into an interview between an 'Unfamous Author' and 'Yurt Makers.' 'What right do I have to write about the war from my armchair?' the author says. 'And to keep writing about the mail-order bride industry seems even worse. Dredge up that cliché? In these times? Anyway, am I even a real Ukrainian?' Throughout these meta forays, the author raises more and more questions. Though Reva doesn't answer all these questions, she tests the boundaries of storytelling with freshness and humor despite the bleak subject matter. A variety of voices, forms and ideas spring forth with a playful inventiveness: a correspondence between a magazine editor and the author, a completed grant application, more interviews, meeting minutes. In another author's hands, these departures might be experienced as digressions, draining suspense and power from the story, but Reva they alchemizes them into something between imagination and reality, an original way to investigate the artifice of the novel — its limitations but also its expansiveness. There may have been a few moments when this reader stumbled over the disparate narrative strategies, but ultimately it's easy to be won over by a novel that includes writing from a snail's point of view. 'Endling,' original as it is, did evoke other reading experiences: the survivalist adventure of Octavia Butler's classic 'The Parable of the Sower,' the sly satire of Percival Everett's 'Erasure,' the poetic inventions of Dana Spiotta's 'Stone Arabia' and 'Wayward.' Reva places her metaphorical arms around all of it — with the intention of using language to express the inexpressible: senseless violence, loneliness, extreme suffering and grief. Near the beginning of 'Endling,' Reva writes about the bond between Yeva and a fellow conservationist: 'For comfort, for reassurance that, despite setbacks, their labs still offered the snails a higher chance of survival than the wild. They needed each other to bear witness, because the rest of the world didn't.' In the end, this may be the fulfilled purpose of Reva's wildly inventive novel: to bear witness. S. Kirk Walsh is a book critic whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other places, and the author of the novel 'The Elephant of Belfast.' By Maria Reva Doubleday. 338 pp. $28
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
British sailor set for solo loop of Arctic Circle
A British woman is preparing to set sail on a solo loop of the Arctic Circle to complete a challenge made potentially possible by melting sea Hibbert, a sailing instructor from Portsmouth, will leave the Haslar Marina in Gosport on Saturday will travel towards Iceland and Norway, where she will officially begin the 10,000-mile (16,093km) journey alone on her boat route, expected to take five months, passes over the north of Iceland, down around southern Greenland, up through Canada and across the north of Alaska before a long leg through Russian waters back to Norway. Ms Hibbert is thought to be the first ever person to attempt a solo circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle, completing both the north-west and north-east passages in a single the 28-year-old said the prospect of making history is "exciting", it goes hand-in-hand with the disturbing reality that the journey should not be feasible."It will be a bittersweet record to achieve because if I make it all the way round in a single season, it will prove that the Arctic no longer has the ice covering that it is supposed to," she said. "I'm trying to achieve something that I don't actually want to be achievable. It's a hard one to wrap your brain around."I will not be sailing over the finishing line popping bottles of champagne."Reflecting on scientific projections that there will be no Arctic ice during the summer months by 2050, Ms Hibbert said: "I could circumnavigate the ice this year but before I'm 50 years old, I could hypothetically sail a straight line almost from Scotland to Tokyo in summer."The North Pole physically would no longer be there, which is harrowing, crazy stuff."I wanted to see it for myself before we lose it."It has taken the sailor three years to prepare for the voyage with training, fundraising and finding Hibbert plans to auction off the boat once she finishes the trip, donating proceeds to conservation charities as a way to give back to the Arctic for the time she spent showcase the impact of climate change, the trip is also being used as a research opportunity - with endorsements from the British Scientific Exploration Society and the International Seakeepers Society. Ms Hibbert will be recording depth soundings of the sea bed as she travels, gathering data on areas that currently have no depth readings for the Seabed 2030 ocean mapping production firm Ocean Films has also installed cameras on the boat to help Ms Hibbert capture the highs and lows of her journey and shoot the decline in sea ice she encounters for a the voyage she will likely face severe sleep deprivation and will only be able to sleep for 20 minutes at a time once she hits the Arctic Circle. Other challenges she has prepared for include hostile wildlife such as polar bears, unpredictable conditions, huge waves, wind chills down to minus 30C, snow build-up on deck, icebergs and fast-moving sea ice."It's not something that you can prepare for until you're there in it, and there's all sorts of weather around the Arctic," she said. "It's both unpredictable and and extreme." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
ITV News
23-05-2025
- ITV News
British woman setting sail from Hampshire to break Arctic record made possible by melting ice
A 28-year-old British woman is preparing to set sail on a solo loop of the Arctic Circle to break a record made potentially possible by melting sea ice. Ella Hibbert, a Yachtmaster sailing instructor based in the Solent, will leave the Haslar Marine in Gosport on Saturday afternoon, travelling towards Iceland and Norway, where she will officially begin the 10,000-mile journey alone on her boat Yeva. The route, expected to take five months, passes over the north of Iceland, down around southern Greenland, up through Canada and across the north of Alaska before a long leg through Russian waters back to Norway. Ms Hibbert is thought to be the first ever person to attempt a solo circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle, completing both the northwest and northeast passages in a single trip. While the 28-year-old said the prospect of making history is 'exciting', it goes hand-in-hand with the disturbing reality that the journey should not be feasible. "It will be a bittersweet record to achieve because if I make it all the way round in a single season, it will prove that the Arctic no longer has the ice covering that it is supposed to. "I'm trying to achieve something that I don't actually want to be achievable. It's a hard one to wrap your brain around. "I will not be sailing over the finishing line popping bottles of champagne." Reflecting on scientific projections that there will be no Arctic ice during the summer months by 2050, Ms Hibbert said: "I could circumnavigate the ice this year but before I'm 50 years old, I could hypothetically sail a straight line almost from Scotland to Tokyo in summer." "The North Pole physically would no longer be there, which is harrowing, crazy stuff,' she said. 'I wanted to see it for myself before we lose it". Ms Hibbert plans to auction off the boat once she finishes the trip, donating proceeds to conservation charities as a way to give back to the Arctic for the time she spent there. To showcase the impact of climate change, the trip is also being used as a research opportunity – with endorsements from the British Scientific Exploration Society and the International Seakeepers Society. Ms Hibbert will be recording depth soundings of the sea bed as she travels, gathering data on areas that currently have no depth readings for the Seabed 2030 ocean mapping project. Documentary production firm Ocean Films has also installed cameras on the boat to help Ms Hibbert capture the highs and lows of her journey and shoot the decline in sea ice she encounters for a feature. During the voyage, the 28-year-old will likely face severe sleep deprivation and will only be able to sleep for 20 minutes at a time once she hits the Arctic Circle. Other challenges she has prepared for include hostile wildlife such as polar bears, unpredictable conditions, huge waves, wind chills down to minus 30C, snow build-up on deck, icebergs and fast-moving sea ice. "It's not something that you can prepare for until you're there in it, and there's all sorts of weather around the Arctic. It's both unpredictable and and extreme," she said. Ahead of 'slipping lines' between noon and 1pm on Saturday, Ms Hibbert said it has been 'all hands on deck' with final arrangements. "We're looking good to go on Saturday. Unfortunately the weather is not looking the best but I'm very much looking forward to getting out there and getting gone," she said. "It's been a long time in the making so just feeling very ready, trying not to feel too stressed, looking forward to it." Ms Hibbert has spent three years getting the project off the ground, campaigning, training, finding sponsors, reaching out for advice from sailors such as Kirsten Neuschafer and Ben Shepton as well as finding, crowdfunding, buying and fitting out Yeva. But her sailing journey stems back to childhood when her father first put her in a dingy near Ipswich, before the family moved to the south of France where they spent the summer sailing to Corsica. Ms Hibbert first worked on super yachts but began her sailing career in earnest when she was 24 years old and completed qualifications such as her yacht master offshore, yacht master instructor and cruising instructor certificates. "I've always known that once I had an idea of what I wanted to do, I'll give it 110% and throw myself into it," she said. "I'm sure I'd be nervous and scared at some points during the trip itself, but at the moment, it's just the buzzing excitement really."
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Daily Mail
British woman embarking on world record breaking solo voyage reveals poignant reason why she DOESN'T want to succeed
A British woman is preparing to set sail on a solo loop of the Arctic Circle to break a record made potentially possible by melting sea ice. However, Ella Hibbert, 28, said the prospect of making history is 'exciting', it goes hand-in-hand with the disturbing reality that the journey should not be feasible. The Yachtmaster sailing instructor based in the Solent will leave the Haslar Marine in Gosport on Saturday afternoon, travelling towards Iceland and Norway, where she will officially begin the 10,000-mile journey alone on her boat Yeva. The route, expected to take five months, passes over the north of Iceland, down around southern Greenland, up through Canada and across the north of Alaska before a long leg through Russian waters back to Norway. Ms Hibbert is thought to be the first ever person to attempt a solo circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle, completing both the northwest and northeast passages in a single trip. 'It will be a bittersweet record to achieve because if I make it all the way round in a single season, it will prove that the Arctic no longer has the ice covering that it is supposed to,' she said. 'I'm trying to achieve something that I don't actually want to be achievable. It's a hard one to wrap your brain around. 'I will not be sailing over the finishing line popping bottles of champagne.' Scientific projections show that there is a possibility that there will be no Arctic ice during the summer months by 2050. Ms Hibbert said: 'I could circumnavigate the ice this year but before I'm 50 years old, I could hypothetically sail a straight line almost from Scotland to Tokyo in summer.' 'The North Pole physically would no longer be there, which is harrowing, crazy stuff,' she said. 'I wanted to see it for myself before we lose it'. During the voyage, Ms Hibbert will likely face severe sleep deprivation and will only be able to sleep for 20 minutes at a time once she hits the Arctic Circle. Other challenges she has prepared for include hostile wildlife such as polar bears, unpredictable conditions, huge waves, wind chills down to minus 30C, snow build-up on deck, icebergs and fast-moving sea ice. 'It's not something that you can prepare for until you're there in it, and there's all sorts of weather around the Arctic. It's both unpredictable and and extreme,' she said. Ahead of 'slipping lines' between noon and 1pm on Saturday, Ms Hibbert said it has been 'all hands on deck' with final arrangements. 'We're looking good to go on Saturday. Unfortunately the weather is not looking the best but I'm very much looking forward to getting out there and getting gone,' she said. 'It's been a long time in the making so just feeling very ready, trying not to feel too stressed, looking forward to it.' Ms Hibbert plans to auction off the boat once she finishes the trip, donating proceeds to conservation charities as a way to give back to the Arctic for the time she spent there. To showcase the impact of climate change, the trip is also being used as a research opportunity - with endorsements from the British Scientific Exploration Society and the International Seakeepers Society. Ms Hibbert will be recording depth soundings of the sea bed as she travels, gathering data on areas that currently have no depth readings for the Seabed 2030 ocean mapping project. Documentary production firm Ocean Films has also installed cameras on the boat to help Ms Hibbert capture the highs and lows of her journey and shoot the decline in sea ice she encounters for a feature. Ms Hibbert has spent three years getting the project off the ground, campaigning, training, finding sponsors, reaching out for advice from sailors such as Kirsten Neuschafer and Ben Shepton as well as finding, crowdfunding, buying and fitting out Yeva. But her sailing journey stems back to childhood when her father first put her in a dingy near Ipswich, before the family moved to the south of France where they spent the summer sailing to Corsica. Ms Hibbert first worked on super yachts but began her sailing career in earnest when she was 24 years old and completed qualifications such as her yacht master offshore, yacht master instructor and cruising instructor certificates. 'I've always known that once I had an idea of what I wanted to do, I'll give it 110% and throw myself into it,' she said. 'I'm sure I'd be nervous and scared at some points during the trip itself, but at the moment, it's just the buzzing excitement really.'
Powys County Times
23-05-2025
- Powys County Times
British woman setting sail to break Arctic record made possible by melting ice
A 28-year-old British woman is preparing to set sail on a solo loop of the Arctic Circle to break a record made potentially possible by melting sea ice. Ella Hibbert, a Yachtmaster sailing instructor based in the Solent, will leave the Haslar Marine in Gosport on Saturday afternoon, travelling towards Iceland and Norway, where she will officially begin the 10,000-mile journey alone on her boat Yeva. The route, expected to take five months, passes over the north of Iceland, down around southern Greenland, up through Canada and across the north of Alaska before a long leg through Russian waters back to Norway. Ms Hibbert is thought to be the first ever person to attempt a solo circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle, completing both the northwest and northeast passages in a single trip. While the 28-year-old said the prospect of making history is 'exciting', it goes hand-in-hand with the disturbing reality that the journey should not be feasible. 'It will be a bittersweet record to achieve because if I make it all the way round in a single season, it will prove that the Arctic no longer has the ice covering that it is supposed to,' she told the PA news agency. 'I'm trying to achieve something that I don't actually want to be achievable. It's a hard one to wrap your brain around. 'I will not be sailing over the finishing line popping bottles of champagne.' Reflecting on scientific projections that there will be no Arctic ice during the summer months by 2050, Ms Hibbert said: 'I could circumnavigate the ice this year but before I'm 50 years old, I could hypothetically sail a straight line almost from Scotland to Tokyo in summer.' 'The North Pole physically would no longer be there, which is harrowing, crazy stuff,' she said. 'I wanted to see it for myself before we lose it'. Ms Hibbert plans to auction off the boat once she finishes the trip, donating proceeds to conservation charities as a way to give back to the Arctic for the time she spent there. To showcase the impact of climate change, the trip is also being used as a research opportunity – with endorsements from the British Scientific Exploration Society and the International Seakeepers Society. Ms Hibbert will be recording depth soundings of the sea bed as she travels, gathering data on areas that currently have no depth readings for the Seabed 2030 ocean mapping project. Documentary production firm Ocean Films has also installed cameras on the boat to help Ms Hibbert capture the highs and lows of her journey and shoot the decline in sea ice she encounters for a feature. During the voyage, the 28-year-old will likely face severe sleep deprivation and will only be able to sleep for 20 minutes at a time once she hits the Arctic Circle. Other challenges she has prepared for include hostile wildlife such as polar bears, unpredictable conditions, huge waves, wind chills down to minus 30C, snow build-up on deck, icebergs and fast-moving sea ice. 'It's not something that you can prepare for until you're there in it, and there's all sorts of weather around the Arctic. It's both unpredictable and and extreme,' she said. Ahead of 'slipping lines' between noon and 1pm on Saturday, Ms Hibbert said it has been 'all hands on deck' with final arrangements. 'We're looking good to go on Saturday. Unfortunately the weather is not looking the best but I'm very much looking forward to getting out there and getting gone,' she said. 'It's been a long time in the making so just feeling very ready, trying not to feel too stressed, looking forward to it.' Ms Hibbert has spent three years getting the project off the ground, campaigning, training, finding sponsors, reaching out for advice from sailors such as Kirsten Neuschafer and Ben Shepton as well as finding, crowdfunding, buying and fitting out Yeva. But her sailing journey stems back to childhood when her father first put her in a dingy near Ipswich, before the family moved to the south of France where they spent the summer sailing to Corsica. Ms Hibbert first worked on super yachts but began her sailing career in earnest when she was 24 years old and completed qualifications such as her yacht master offshore, yacht master instructor and cruising instructor certificates. 'I've always known that once I had an idea of what I wanted to do, I'll give it 110% and throw myself into it,' she said. 'I'm sure I'd be nervous and scared at some points during the trip itself, but at the moment, it's just the buzzing excitement really.'
