Anna Morozova

Chetverty pomoshchnik Svyatogo Kristofora

The Fourth Helper of Saint Christopher Novel. Summit Books. Kyiv 2021. 700 pages

Awards in general:

2022 Long List BBC Book of the Year 2022 Pervaya Lastochka, Writers Union Ukraine 2021 Yukhomovich Award

Buenos Aires, January 1992. The crew of the ship “Bela Kun” went on strike in front of the former Soviet embassy. The Black Sea Shipping Company, on the verge of bankruptcy after the collapse of the USSR, left them to their fate stranded in Buenos Aires with dwindling resources and no help in sight. The sailors are on the brink of starvation, and the ship is detained at the port as a result of unpaid debts. But the strike brings no results. In a desperate attempt to draw attention to their plight, the first officer Ivan Lubnin sets himself on fire in front of the Soviet embassy.
Amidst this chaos, the young mate Rozov makes a difficult decision. He wants to return to Odesa, no matter what it takes. He doesn‘t tell anyone why he‘s willing to risk his life to get home: he wants to see Diana again, the girl he loved and once lost. Captain Samoilov gives Rozov a family heirloom, the cross of Saint Christopher, and asks him to return it to his sister. The cross is said to be the patron saint of all travelers and has helped the captain out of trouble many times.

Rozov starts his gripping journey through South America, as he hitchhikes his way through Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia, encountering diverse cultures and fascinating people along the way, encountering unexpected allies and enemies. Despite facing moments of hope and despair, Rozov never loses sight of his ultimate goal - to return home to Odesa and reunite with the love of his life. His journey takes some adventurous detours, including escaping the Italian mafia who seek revenge, surviving the infamous Bolivian prison San Pedro, voluntarily locking himself down in a Peruvian monastery, passing through the Darien Gap with Colombian FARC, illegally crossing the Mexican-US border, trying to build an immigrant life in San Francisco, and finally working as a crab catcher in Alaska.

As he travels further from home, Rozov‘s burning desire to find his way back intensifies, and he must navigate the depths of human emotion to survive. Despite his incredible journey, Rozov experiences his worst test on the ice of the Bering Strait, where he is caught in a storm and attacked by a polar bear. Though he manages to kill the animal, he loses consciousness and only wakes up in a hospital in Chukotka, Russia.

He faces severe frostbite and legal penalties for crossing the border illegally, and some of his toes have been amputated. Colonel Remezov, Diana‘s father, saves him from his apparently hopeless situation. Arriving in Moscow, Rozov thanks Remezov for the help, but in his heart, he hates him because it was Remezov who separated him and Diana. Remezov, on the other hand, unexpectedly admits that it was Diana who asked him to help end her relationship with Rozov. When Rozov finally meets his beloved again after three years of separation, he tries to understand what happened to her, why she left him. Diana honestly says that she still loves him, but does not want to get married or have a relationship - the Soviet Union is broken, there is an air of freedom, and she believes that she can be more useful in politics than at the stove.

Heartbroken and disappointed, Rozov travels from Moscow to St. Petersburg to fulfill the captain‘s request. When he returns the cross to his sister, she reveals a terrible secret to him. Now it is also clear why the first officer burned himself and the whole crew was stuck in Argentina for many years because of the captain‘s cowardice. Rozov is shocked and does not know how to continue living. He takes a train to Odesa, where a fellow passenger offers him a drink, and he agrees with the words „We left the sea and we will return to the sea.“