Honey and Ashes: A Story of Family

Pauline Carey is an actor, playwright, and fiction writer. She is the
author of Magic and What’s in a Name?

In 1927, the author’s grandfather left his family in Europe and came
to Toronto in search of work. Nine years later, his wife and two
surviving children joined him, moving from the Old Place to the New
World. When they left Staromischyna it was in Poland; it is now in
Ukraine.

Much of this poignant book is a re-creation of the Old Place. The
Canadian-born author grew up with the stories of her mother and aunt. So
vivid were the older women’s memories that Kulyk Keefer felt she grew
up in two worlds. After years of asking questions and dreaming about the
Old Place, she traveled to Europe to see it for herself.

Before Kulyk Keefer takes us on this particular journey, she steps back
from her personal story to consider the tragic history of what was once
known as eastern Galicia, a history characterized by the violent discord
between Poles and Ukrainians. When she finally reaches Ukraine and the
Old Place, the second home that has seemed “like a length of cloth
richly embroidered” turns out to be something quite different. In
Poland, she visits her great-aunt, who once lived in the Old Place, but
the old woman is reluctant to talk.

Honey and Ashes will inspire readers themselves to reflect on memory,
family, and the personal history that can be “a burden you carry in
your bones.”