SON FROM UKRAINE

In this memoir, two Canadians travel to Ukraine in the year 2000 to adopt a son.

Retired journalist Upeslacis writes of how she and her husband, Albert, first flew to Kyiv in November 2000 with a clear goal in mind. He already had three daughters from a previous marriage, but the couple, unable to have a biological child together, wanted to raise a child of their own. They opted for international adoption, with both sharing an “affinity for Ukraine,” which had suffered greatly under Soviet rule: “My family, and my husband’s, lost their homes, livelihoods, and loved ones in Latvia during World War Two,” she explains. She charts the five weeks of their journey, sometimes with humor, and other times with barbed, sharp observations about the difficulty of navigating the Ukrainian adoption system: “I anticipate another long, slow-moving queue in the dark hallway with its yellow-brown walls.” The couple finally meets the malnourished 16-month-old boy they hope will become their son, and more tender moments follow as they get to know one another. With each passing day, Upeslacis and her spouse wanted to spend more time with him, but they had to respect the bureaucratic rules of the children’s home where he lived. Although the ultimate outcome is never really in question, readers are treated to accounts of a series of lightly frustrating but mostly amusing complications along the way, as when the couple’s lawyer’s computer stopped working and needed to be repaired, or when they were given just 10 minutes to come up with a name for their son. At times, Upeslacis delves into too much play-by-play detail in sections readers might be tempted to skim (“I unpack our clothes, put them in the wardrobe, and lie down on the bed nearest the window. The room is a bit cold, so I grab the throw blanket at the foot of the bed and soon fall asleep”). However, the emotional depth and compelling situation will keep readers engaged.

An often entertaining and endearing look at an international adoption process.