Awe-inspiring. I loved Catastrophe – and even more on my second reading. In this stunning novel, Ian Sutherland has artfully combined two genres.

First and foremost this is a thriller based on the mysterious explosion of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in 1986. In chilling detail Sutherland describes the events before and after the disaster. Yuri, the nuclear physicist who is hero of the novel, tries to warn his colleagues of the danger. No one listens and he himself disappears. The desperate search for Yuri gives a dramatic twist to the second half of the novel.

Second this is a confessional novel, which provides a narrative frame for the story. Lena, Yuri’s wife, and a former ballerina from the Bolshoi, narrates the story 40 years later. She is now dying of cancer in a New York hospital and desperate to set the record straight for the benefit of her estranged daughter. She explains that she had eventually discovered Yuri, who had been hidden by friends after the explosion. But he was already dying from the effects of radiation. Later she had fled to America where she was employed, to her shame, as an exotic dancer. The career filled her with self loathing but she wanted her daughter to know the truth about herself and Yuri. The novel closes shortly before her death, but she is now reconciled with Yuri’s child – the daughter born after Yuri’s death.
Thomas Packenham, Best-selling international author and historian, titles including The Boer War, Scramble for Africa and Remarkable Trees of the World

Catastrophe is that rare feat – a wholly immersive and convincing historical novel, an acute character study and a heart-stopping and thoroughly gripping literary thriller – that is lyrical and beautifully written. Ian answered challenging questions about genre, process, trauma, creating authentic characters, being truthful in fiction, space and place, the role of fiction and the responsibilities of the novelist with insight and aplomb…I wholeheartedly recommend reading Ian Sutherland. You won’t regret it.
Jonathan Amid, Editor, Literary Reviewer & Journalist
(link to review)

Beautifully written, the lyrical voice of Lena is mesmeric as she tells the story, to her estranged daughter, of her husband’s disappearance after an accident at the Pripyat nuclear power plant. Packed with intriguing twists and full of heart, this is a page-turner. 
Joanne Hichens, Writer and Editor

Compelling… I often could not stop reading when I meant to because I was genuinely driven to go on…. I loved the thumbnail descriptions of land and cityscape…. The way people interacted with each other verbally, especially amongst the characters in the USSR, is natural and authentic.
Sara Pienaar