Night Train to Odesa

A BBC Radio Book of the Week

Winner, Saltire Society First Book of the Year Award

When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, millions of lives changed in an instant. Millions of people were suddenly on the move. In this great flow of people was a reporter from the north of Scotland. Jen Stout left Moscow abruptly, ending up at a border post in southeast Romania, from where she began to cover the human cost of Russian aggression.

Her first-hand, vivid reporting brought the war home to readers in Scotland as she reported from front lines and cities across Ukraine. Stories from the night trains, birthday parties, military hospitals and bunkers: stories from the ground, from a writer with a deep sense of empathy, always seeking to understand the bigger picture, the big questions of identity, history, hopes and fears in this war in Europe.

Night Train to Odesa begins in Russia and continues to focus on people, relationships and individuals in Ukraine. It is the account of a young female reporter with no institutional backup or security. Both in language and themes, it is accessible and highly readable.

'Jen Stout is very brave. And she is a storyteller of supreme gifts. I am in awe of her resourcefulness and courage' — Fergal Keane

'This account is honest, intelligent, and visceral; it is independent reporting at its finest' — Quentin Sommerville