Endling by Maria Reva is a debut novel published on 3 June 2025. The book is already longlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 and praised for its mix of urgency, humour, and emotional depth. In Endling, Maria Reva sets the story in Ukraine in 2022 and follows Yeva, a scientist who tries to save rare snails while working in romance tours to fund her research. Yeva is a lonely and cynical woman, torn between her mission to protect endangered species and her loss of hope in people.
Maria Reva also shows other voices in Endling. Nastia, a young woman, enters the marriage industry but still dreams of a better life. Her sister Sol supports her as they search for their missing mother. Iolanta is the mother of Nastia, was a bold protestor who fought against the romance industry but later disappeared. Lefty, the last of its kind snail, becomes a fragile symbol of survival in the novel.
As Endling moves forward, Russia invades Ukraine and changes the course of their lives. What begins as a strange road trip turns into a raw story of survival and loss? Maria Reva mixes dark humor with sharp truths about war, making the book both painful and real. A striking line from Endling says, “But why must a country be bombed before we care about it?” This shows the silence of the world until tragedy makes it impossible to ignore. The book was written while Russia attacked Ukraine, which makes it even more powerful.
Endling is about extinction of species, environmental collapse, broken families, and the exploitation of women. Yeva’s struggle to save species and Nastia’s attempts to find her reality mirror the larger issues of identity, purpose, and the harshness of societal pressures.
In Endling by Maria Reva, fiction blends with reality and raises deep questions about war and survival. The novel asks what stories people create in order to endure daily life during military occupation. It also questions how routines continue when violence and fear surrounded every moment. For readers outside Ukraine, this novel makes us reflect on whether our sense of safety and normal life is real or only an illusion that can break at any time.
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Availability and Book Details
Endling is a compelling novel written by Maria Reva in English, published by Virago on 3 June 2025. The book is available in several formats to suit every reader’s preference. The paperback edition, with 352 pages, is priced at ₹680, while the Kindle version can be downloaded instantly for ₹371.70. For those who enjoy a more immersive experience, the hardcover edition is available for ₹2,050, and the audiobook can be accessed for free with a membership trial. Whether you prefer reading in print, digitally, or listening on the go, Endling is easy to get. You can purchase it online from popular platforms like Amazon and Flipkart or check your nearest bookstore for availability. With its mix of adventure, emotional depth, and critical acclaim, this novel is definitely worth adding to your collection.
About the Author: Maria Reva
Maria Reva is a Ukrainian-Canadian writer and opera librettist known for her sharp, imaginative storytelling. She was born in Ukraine and grew up in Canada Vancouver, British Columbia, where she developed a deep connection to her heritage and a keen eye for human experience. Reva holds an MFA from the Michener Centre for Writers at the University of Texas. Her debut short story collection, Good Citizens Need Not Fear, won the Kobzar Book Award and was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust of Canada Fiction Prize. Her fiction has appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, Granta, McSweeney’s, and The Best American Short Stories. In addition to her writing, she also works as an opera librettist, blending her literary skills with musical storytelling. With her debut novel, Endling, Reva has established herself as a bold and versatile voice, combining humour, emotional depth, and social insight to explore identity, resilience, and survival.
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Thematic Analysis: Endling by Maria Reva
- War and Everyday Survival: Endling is set during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when daily life suddenly becomes uncertain. Yeva works from her mobile lab, sisters Nastia and Sol search for their missing mother, and Western bachelors arrive in the country for arranged romance tours. When the war begins, everything changes at once. What once looked like routine suddenly turns into acts of survival. Eating, traveling, and staying together as a family all take on urgent meaning. The novel shows how people try to live through fear by holding on to humor, determination, and even absurd plans. It shows the fragile balance between ordinary life and the chaos of invasion. The novel mixes dark comedy with sharp truths, showing how war steals stability but cannot erase human will. The story raises a clear question: how much of normal life can survive under occupation, and what illusions do people create just to carry on?
- The Fragility of Species and Extinction: The title Endling refers to the last surviving member of a species, and this idea deeply shapes the novel. Yeva’s research on Lefty, a rare snail, becomes both a scientific mission and a symbolic exploration of vulnerability. Lefty’s delicate existence reflects lives, cultures, and communities that can vanish under pressure, just as species can disappear without warning. The novel draws parallels between biological fragility and Ukraine’s struggle during the invasion, showing how quickly what seems permanent can be threatened. Through Yeva’s careful observations and attempts to preserve the snail, the story asks readers to consider what is worth saving and what is inevitably lost. The fragility of life becomes a lens to explore human resilience, memory, and cultural survival. Even small, overlooked creatures like Lefty carry profound significance, reminding us that extinction is not only a natural event but also a human tragedy, linked to the risk of forgetting what truly matters.
- Women and Resistance: Endling tells the story of three women, Yeva, Nastia, and Sol, whose choices reflect resistance in difficult times. Yeva refuses her relatives’ wishes for her to marry and instead commits to her scientific work, even when it leaves her isolated. Nastia and Sol enter the romance tour industry, but only as a cover to find their missing mother, Iolanta, a former activist who fought against the exploitation of women. Their journey shows how women push back against roles forced on them by family, society, and politics. Critics describe these characters as flawed but courageous, because they keep fighting even when the world around them collapses. Their rebellion is sometimes messy, such as when they kidnap bachelors, but it shows determination to take control of their lives. In Endling, women are not passive figures. They resist in personal, social, and political ways, proving that survival and defiance often go hand in hand.
- Family Bonds and Separation: Family is one of the most important themes in Endling. Nastia and Sol are two sisters whose journey begins with the search for their missing mother Iolanta. Her absence shapes their lives and becomes the reason behind their decisions. Even when they pretend to be part of romance tours, their true goal is to bring their family together again. Yeva also experiences a different kind of separation, choosing science over marriage, which distances her from her relatives. Through these stories, novelshows how family can be both a source of strength and a deep wound when broken apart. It is noted that the novel reflects the reality of many families during war, when people are forced apart by violence, politics, or migration. The book suggests that family bonds continue to guide choices even in the hardest times. In Endling, the desire to reunite with loved ones becomes a powerful act of hope.
- Comedy and Absurdity: One striking feature of Endling is its mix of comedy with tragedy. Even during the darkest moments, the novel uses humour to show how people cope with fear. For example, Yeva’s snail lab on wheels becomes home to a group of Western bachelors who join her strange experiments. This odd combination creates absurd but memorable scenes. The humour does not make light of war but instead shows how laughter can protect the human spirit when nothing feels safe. Sometime the novel seems to be absurd because it highlights the strange logic which people create when faced with impossible situations. In novel, the comedy is sharp and intentional. It balances the heaviness of violence and loss with moments of relief, allowing readers to see survival in unexpected ways. The use of absurdity makes the book stand out, reminding us that humour can be a tool for endurance and for exposing the cruelty of war.
- The Search for Identity: Endling is also about identity and belonging. Yeva struggles with her place in both science and family life, as her choices put her at odds with expectations. Nastia and Sol search not only for their mother but also for who they are without her guidance. Their mother’s past as a political activist shapes their sense of purpose, yet they must find their own path in a country at war. The novel identity is shown as fragile and shifting, just like the snails Yeva studies. War and occupation force characters to redefine themselves and question what remains stable. For readers, the theme of identity becomes personal because it asks how much of who we are can survive when our surroundings collapse. Itsuggests that identity is not fixed but shaped by love, loss, and resilience, and that discovering who we are can be as difficult as surviving conflict.
- The Power of Nature: Nature in novelis portrayed as a quiet but persistent force, enduring even amid destruction and chaos. While the snail Lefty symbolizes fragility, the broader natural world demonstrates resilience and adaptation, showing that life persists even under extreme conditions. Yeva’s interactions with her mobile lab and the ecosystems she studies reveal that survival is not solely human; animals and plants continue their struggle to exist alongside conflict. The novel highlights how nature mirrors human experience, reflecting both vulnerability and strength, yet often in unexpected ways. By focusing on details like the snail’s life cycle or the survival strategies of other living beings, Endling emphasizes that the natural world carries lessons in endurance, adaptability, and continuity. Nature becomes a witness, a participant, and a reminder that survival is interconnected. Even amid war, life finds ways to persist, suggesting hope and persistence beyond human control.
- Love and Exploitation: Love is explored in unusual ways in Endling. The marriage tours that bring Western bachelors to Ukraine are presented as both business and personal risk. For Nastia and Sol, these tours are not about romance but about hiding their true plan to find their mother. Yet, the system itself shows how women can be treated as commodities, offered for the attention of outsiders. The theme of exploitation runs alongside the theme of desire. Yeva also faces pressure from her family to marry, but she resists and follows her own path. In the novel, love is never simple. It is shaped by politics, money, and survival. The novel questions whether love can exist freely when people are struggling to survive or whether it always becomes tied to power. By blending romance, exploitation, and resistance, the novelpresents love as a fragile force that can either be corrupted or serve as a form of rebellion.
- Activism and Silence: The missing mother Iolanta is one of the most important figures in Endling. She was once an activist who spoke against the exploitation of women and who stood for social change. Her disappearance leaves a gap that drives Nastia and Sol to search for her. Her absence represents the silence that comes when voices are erased by violence or politics. The novel suggests that activism carries heavy risks but also lasting influence. Even though Iolanta is not present, her ideals guide her daughters and shape the choices they make. The novelshows how silence can be both forced and chosen, but activism always leaves an echo that cannot be ignored. The contrast between speaking out and disappearing adds tension throughout the story. This theme highlights how individual action matters, even if it feels unfinished. Iolanta’s voice carries into every decision of the novel, proving that silence does not erase the mark of resistance.
- Truth and Illusion: Truth and illusion constantly collide in Endling. The characters must often create false stories in order to survive. Nastia and Sol pretend to join romance tours, hiding their true plan of finding their mother. Yeva builds her work around protecting snails, even when others dismiss it as unimportant. The war itself forces people to live with illusions of safety, pretending that life can remain normal. Yet behind these masks, the truth of violence and loss always appears. The novel questions what stories people tell themselves to continue living and whether those stories protect or deceive. The presence of comedy in tragic scenes adds another layer of illusion, where laughter hides pain. The noveldoes not separate truth from falsehood but shows them mixed together in everyday life. Illusion becomes a way of coping, while truth is what breaks through and changes everything. The struggle between these two forces shapes the entire novel.
- Memory and Loss: Memory holds deep weight in Endling. Characters are shaped by what they remember and by what they cannot recover. For Nastia and Sol, memory of their mother drives them forward, even as her absence becomes painful. For Yeva, memory connects her to family expectations she resists. The war itself creates new memories of violence, fear, and sudden change. Loss is present on every page, from missing family members to endangered species. The novel shows how memory is both comfort and burden, reminding characters of what they once had and what has been taken away. At the same time, memory ensures that nothing is completely erased. Even when people or places vanish, memory keeps them alive in some form. Itties memory to the theme of survival, suggesting that remembering is an act of resistance against destruction. Loss cannot be avoided, but memory can preserve meaning in the face of disappearance.
- The Role of Art: Art appears directly inside Endling when Maria Reva enters her own novel as a character. This metafictional choice shows that writing itself is part of the struggle to survive war. The act of creating art becomes both a way to process grief and a way to resist silence. Reva writes about the invasion as it happens, blurring the line between fiction and reality. This theme highlights how art is never separate from the world around it. In the novel,art becomes a weapon against forgetting and a witness to violence. It also carries hope by turning suffering into stories that can be shared. The novel suggests that art is not an escape but a record of survival. By inserting herself into the story, Reva shows that writing is personal, political, and necessary. Novel ends up being both a novel and a testimony, proving that art can stand against destruction.
Notable Quotes from Endling
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“The future had been a luxury, the future didn’t exist anymore.”— Maria Reva, Endling
This quote shows how war and sudden upheaval can make it feel like tomorrow doesn’t exist. When survival becomes the main focus, thinking about plans, dreams, or the future can seem impossible. In Endling, Maria Reva captures this feeling of living in the moment, where safety and family matter more than anything else. It reminds readers how fragile life can be and how quickly everything we take for granted can change.
“You cling to the idea of your mother because you have no other personality. Nothing in there, no one home. A pretty shell. That’s it.”— Maria Reva, Endling
This quote explores the struggle of finding your own identity. The character leans on their mother’s presence to define who they are, leaving a sense of emptiness inside when that figure is absent. Maria Reva shows how hard it can be to stand on your own and discover yourself when life is chaotic. It’s a powerful reminder of how much family shapes us and how we must learn to fill our own space within ourselves.
“In the cities, buildings still stood whole. Some new or freshly renovated, some worse for wear but functional, complete with floors, walls, ceilings. When a hand turned on a tap, water poured from it. A flick of a switch, and light flooded a room. The parks also lay whole, grass stretched uninterrupted.” — Maria Reva, Endling
This passage contrasts the stability of urban life with the chaos of war. It highlights the resilience of cities amidst conflict, where basic comforts like water and electricity persist. Reva uses this imagery to underscore the stark differences between the everyday normalcy of city life and the upheaval experienced in other parts of the country. It’s an emotional reminder of how war can disrupt the balance between the familiar and the unfamiliar.
“Once, a fragment of comet, catching the breaths of those who witnessed in terror the flash of light—but when it was over, they clapped at the miracle.”— Maria Reva, Endling
This quote from Endling shows how moments of fear or amazement can be brief but unforgettable. Maria Reva highlights how people living through extreme situations, like war or personal upheaval, can quickly turn shock or terror into moments of awe or even celebration. It reflects the resilience of humans and their ability to find hope, beauty, and small moments of relief even in chaos. For readers interested in stories of survival, courage, and the strength of the human spirit, this passage perfectly captures the essence of Reva’s writing.
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Notable Reviews of Endling
- “Maria Reva has made a fantastic novel. It’s about so much and yet is laser focused. A scientist who funds her research with sex work, a wild and, at the same time, sensible and normal move. This novel turns corners and tables. I love works that are smarter than I am and this is one.” ― Percival Everett
- “Maria Reva’s dazzling debut novel Endling will take you on a ride you will never forget. Into this brilliant stew of a novel the fearless Reva stirs Ukraine’s notorious ‘romance tour’ industry, feminist activists, a kidnapping caper, the fine science of snail conservation, family dynamics, and Europe’s first major land war since World War II. Open this book, fasten your seatbelt, and brace for impact.” ― Ben Fountain
- “In Maria Reva’s all-around brilliant novel Endling, the fate of some snails serves as a harbinger for the fate of Ukraine. The book is funny and smart, full of science, longing and adventure, all the while reminding us what the world stands to lose, and what it has already lost. This is essential reading.” ― Ann Patchett
- “Heartbreaking, hilarious, profound, and vital, Endling is a brilliant, visceral journey that pulses with a powerful sense of urgency and relevance to our times.” ― Lara Prescott
- “Wild, exhilarating, heartbreaking… Over and over again, Endling delivers flashes of beauty and grace and dares us to see hope amidst wreckage and ruin.” ― Anelise Chen
Why You Should Read Endling
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Endling’s most compelling aspect is how it captures what is lost in extraordinary times. Beyond the physical dangers of war, the novel draws attention to the emotional gaps, the untold stories, and the unseen struggles that shape human experience. The narrative is haunted by the lingering presence of missing family members, vanished routines, forgotten places, and the quiet disappearance of familiar stability. Maria Reva explores these absences with sensitivity and nuance, showing that what is not present can be as powerful as what is. Readers will notice the spaces where love, memory, and hope should be and feel the weight of their absence. This focus on missing elements makes the novel emotionally resonant and reflective, appealing to anyone drawn to stories about loss, longing, and the subtle threads that hold life together even when so much is gone.
Endling is written in clear, evocative English, blending precise observation with lyrical, almost cinematic descriptions. Maria Reva’s style is both intimate and daring. She captures the tension of everyday life during a crisis while threading in dark humour, absurdity, and subtle symbolism. The prose moves fluidly between the external chaos of war and the internal world of her characters, making every moment feel immediate and alive. Readers who enjoy exploring human resilience, moral complexity, and the hidden corners of ordinary life will find the novel particularly engaging. Those drawn to stories that highlight what is missing, lost family, endangered species, silenced voices, or the fragile sense of normalcy will feel a deep connection to the narrative. The novel appeals to anyone curious about survival, identity, and the delicate beauty that exists even in moments of absence or uncertainty.
Final Thought
Endling is a novel that lingers long after the last page, leaving readers to reflect on survival, loss, and the resilience of both people and the world around them. Maria Reva’s storytelling is intimate yet expansive, blending humor, tension, and quiet moments of reflection in a way that feels profoundly real. The book is not just about war or danger, it is about what endures when everything familiar is threatened: family, memory, identity, and small sparks of hope. Through unforgettable characters and subtle symbolism, the novel shows that even in the harshest circumstances, life continues and adapts. Endling challenges, moves, and inspires, making it essential for anyone who appreciates literature that explores vulnerability, courage, absence, presence, and the human capacity to keep going even when so much is at risk.
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