Blood Formula by Illya Titko

Blood Formula by Illya Titko is a fictionalised biography of a Ukrainian soldier who served before the full-scale invasion. It was translated by Jeffrey Stephaniuk and it is the second book I bought from an event earlier this year. This is the story of Illya Titko, a Senior Lieutenant and a combat veteran. He is from Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

Ten years ago, in September 2015, he was drafted for the mobilization. He was older than his fellow soldiers and a citizen. He describes the new realities of being in a trench and in a war zone. He talks about his emotions and the difficulties of life in those conditions. I loved reading about the mention of how important food sent by civilians was. I am doing that when I am volunteering in Ukraine and I know that having home-made food is comforting for soldiers. Even so, reading about this in a book, if only a mention, was very special.

He describes clearly the issues with small things like doing laundry, every day small things that can be so disruptive and annoying. He also talks about the problems with alcohol some soldiers had. I found that clarity and openness made the book important to read and real. I recommend the book and I give it a very well deserved 4 stars.

Blood Formula by Illya Titko

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My rating: 4/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Benchmark Press
Year it was published: 2021
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Fiction
Pages: 210

About the author: The translator, Jeffrey Stephaniuk, is a Ukrainian Catholic priest in the Eparchy of Saskatoon. He is a journalist and grade school teacher. He also translates articles from Ukrainian into English. He studied at the University of St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, the University of Saskatchewan, and St. Paul University in Ottawa.
I read another book by him, Bravado.
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