All That Is Solid Melts into Air: A Novel

This was a very important and serious novel. It is well written and thought provoking. I have read other novels about Chernobyl and I am always left feeling so very sad. This is not a book for someone who prefers a breezy beach read. It is for someone who feels like thinking and considering some major issues in our world. This novel, like many about the Soviets, shows how ideology, politics, and fear can get in the way of governing effectively (i.e., properly helping citizens in a time of crisis - a big crisis). It also shines a light on the long term effects of a nuclear fallout on people, animals, and the land. I would recommend this book to my more serious friends who don't mind doing some research at the end of the novel, and learning beyond the story. It also isn't for the faint of heart. There are some unpleasant details painted for the reader. One needn't search far to see photos of these descriptions. The fallout from a nuclear disaster is not pretty. It is disturbing, but it takes novels like this for some of us to pull our heads out of the sand. Well done.

I'm amazed that a young novelist (McKeon was born in 1979) has such a keen understanding of Russia and the Cold War. He contends the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown was the tragedy that truly doomed the once mighty Soviet Union. The lives of the main characters -- a dedicated physician, his restless ex-wife who is fascinated by the Polish Solidarity movement, a displaced farm family, and a young piano prodigy -- are spun into upheaval by the disaster. The novel's title is taken from the writings of Karl Marx, no doubt referring to capitalist society. That the words apply to Chernobyl is a profound historical irony. McKeon puts the reader in the center of the action. In a postscript, the author reports on a journey he took through the countryside surrounding Chernobyl. He met scores of radiation victims stricken with hideous deformities and chronic pain. None receives a kopek from the respective governments of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Noting the similar damage to a nuclear reactor in Fukushima, Japan, McKeon wonders if atomic energy anywhere is worth the risk.

This was an excellent book. It told the grim but accurate story of what the explosion at the nuclear plant really did to the neighboring communities and the country itself. Since Russia denied and hid the truth, this novel was a powerful testament to the people who lived and died dealing with the aftermath of the disaster.

While this novel is a story of the sad events that took place at Chernobyl, it is so much more. The weaving in of the response of the political system is stunning to say the least.I enjoyed this novel very much because of the way the author tells the big story through minute details of the lives of his characters. The character development in this novel beautifully sculpted with descriptive detail that brings them to life and makes you care about them. The characters all connect to each other, making their individual journeys even more complex and spellbinding.I would recommend this book not only to history buffs, but anyone who loves a compelling story.An excellent read; I couldn’t put it down.

This book brings us into the ever gray and depressing life of the (thank goodness) now gone Soviet Union. That life goes on, even in this stultifying atmosphere, poisoned by Chernobyl, is astounding. This book takes us there brilliantly. And the afterwards essay on the facts and figures of the catastrophe, melded to the decidedly un banal reaction of the governments - past and present - only shine the light more clearly and brightly on our almos universal avoidance instincts.Some of the narrative almost demands a deeper understanding and knowledge of life under the Soviet Power, but the clarity of the story comes through nonetheless. Brilliant first novel.

This book was a painful delight.I don't like or write the Cliff's Notes reviews. Someone else surely will have given a synopsis of the plot so no need for that again. It is my opinion that is unique so that is what I give. In my opinion, this book approaches the same magically evovative quality of a Marquez novel. I am no longer in my home but am transported to Moscow, to Chernobyl, to a time and a circumstance I would never have chosen, living among people whose lives make me treasure my own. My only criticism is that the three Chernobyl survivors simply disappear from the narrative, leaving me feeling as though my friends moved away without telling me.

I am writing this review just before finishing the book because I really love the story and the way it is written, I rarely give 5 stars to a book, but this one truly deserves it. It takes you to the Ukraine, introduces you to incredible characters, and is so well written that you don't want to put it down. What a horror it was to live in a Communist country where the state is always more important than the individual, even if that means denying the truth of a situation.

It was more about people loving each other and daily life in Russia than than the recounting of the Chernobyl disaster.

a very interesting read, thank you.

Fantastic !! An impacting and very original story amazingly well written ! I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something new and fresh for the mind. I hope you will enjoy it the same way I did.

Brillant Book, very captivating story, well written. Couldn't put it down. After meeting the author, his original essay and the story are even more compelling. Darragh is a great writer and an amazing person.