Home Coming

Book excerpt: "Mother Maria," "Home-Coming" and "Bridge to the Sky" are parts of trilogy “God's Miracles in Lives of Regular People” with main character Countess Maria Kotyk-Kurbatov. Trilogy is based on journals of Countess Maria. Descriptive imagination of author transformed dry data into inspirational life and love story. The readers transcend space and time, joining Maria in her happiness and heartbreaking sadness, life-saving love and devastating losses, terrible hardships and miraculous triumphs. “Home-coming” is the 2-nd book of trilogy. Author brings reader to post-war Western Ukraine together with mother-to-be Maria and her husband Alexander Kurbatov. They arrived to take Maria’s father and siblings to France away from communist regime that expropriated family wealth and evicted the Kotyks from manor. The reader learns, how Maria’s plans have been ruined due to illegal and inhumane actions of NKVD. Maria and Alexander were arrested and went through hell on Earth. Their short trip was transformed into a life-long detour. In Lviv prison, the Kurbatovs were found “guilty” in “high treason”, “espionage and terroristic acts” on territory of USSR. There was no court hearing and no chance for defense. Maria and Alexander were sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in GULAG – chain of Russian political labor camps in ever frozen zones. It was extremely difficult for a pregnant woman to work in mine, but it was even more complicated for baby to survive in prison. Maria prayed and God created miracles. Through Devine intervention, Maria and Alexander were found innocent and released from camps with 10-year-old son. The authorities promised repatriation to France. Faith and love guided the Kurbatovs in prison and post-prison life. Being exhausted from misery of life in Magadan zone and endless waiting for repatriation to France, Alexander visited KGB office. The reader discovers the most unpredictable KGB answer that impacted their family. Content Words: • Inspirational • Romance • Family Saga • GULAG • Russia / former USSR • KGB