Sunflower Boys

Sam Wachman is a writer from Cambridge, Massachusetts with Ukrainian roots. His short fiction has appeared in Sonora Review, Berkeley Fiction Review, and New England Review. Before writing The Sunflower Boys, he taught English to primary schoolers in central Ukraine and worked with refugee families in Europe and the United States.

“It’s hard to believe that a 25-year-old kid from Massachusetts has written the best book about the war in Ukraine we’ve read to date, but believe it. This is a gorgeous, heartbreaking story.” — Oprah Daily“A deeply necessary and moving coming-of-age story celebrating the healing power of art and the indomitable strength of family bonds from a promising young writer. — People, "Book of the Week""The Sunflower Boys, Sam Wachman, a writer all of 25 years old, has created that rarest phenomenon: war novel that feels at once timeless and precisely of the moment." — Washington Post“Two boys grappling with love in the war years and the loss of all they know… The Sunflower Boys is a heartrending and profoundly compelling testament to love’s invincibility. Wachman is a writer of boundless sympathies and boundless talent.” — Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize winning author of This is How You Lose Her“Brilliantly sensitive… This is a writer who wants to understand how we love, how we suffer, how we come together to live again. In short, this is art with true purpose. I don’t have to prepare you for what comes next in the story. The invasion continues today, and the atrocities these boys will face are very much the reality of children and families around the world, from Ukraine to Gaza. This is less a novel about war than about everything that war destroys. Go on—let this triumph of a novel shatter your heart.” — Recommended by Santiago Jose Sanchez, for Electric Literature"In The Sunflower Boys, Sam Wachman has accomplished an extraordinary feat: he has written a novel full of wit and warmth that takes us deep into the violence, fear and deprivations of war-time Ukraine. Once I began reading about his passionate and eloquent narrator I couldn’t stop. All I wanted was for Artem, and his beloved family, to make it to a place of safety. A gripping and immensely satisfying debut." — Margot Livesey, New York Times bestselling author of The Road from Belhaven"At a time when we are in need of writers who are as assured of their world as they are searching for a voice, Sam Wachman has given us a tender and powerful portrayal of a country’s, a family’s, a boy’s realization that there is little daylight between identity and community, innocence and fear, bravery and loss. Yet, we search for the light nevertheless. The Sunflower Boys walks that rare and beautiful tightrope of love story, war story, and coming- of-age, all along an unforgettable and unstoppable arc. We will still be reading this novel, years and years from now." — Andrew Krivák, author of The Sojourn and Like the Appearance of Horses“Sam Wachman's first novel is an astonishing coming of age story written with the assurance and authority of a seasoned novelist yet captures the most impossibly tender moments of youth. Traversing both peace and war, this novel is an urgent missive from the front lines of the Russian invasion of Ukraine told from the point of view of a brave boy on the cusp of his life." — Betsy Lerner, author of Shred Sisters“The Sunflower Boys is sublime. Sam’s writing is generous and beautiful and bursting with life… I cried more than I wanted to or thought I could.” — Tomasz Jedrowski, author of Swimming in the Dark"Sam Wachman’s urgent novel about war and brotherhood is at once tender, heartfelt, knowing and wise." — Brad Kessler, author of North and Birds in Fall"The Sunflower Boys is a stunning debut. An exquisitely rendered story of self-discovery, it's also a testament to the power of love and loyalty in the face of a savage war. Wachman's writing is exactly what we need right now: a shot of hope, delivered straight to the heart." — Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding"The Sunflower Boys invites us into the gentle rhythms of childhood through the eyes of Artem—picking sunflowers, swimming in rivers, navigating the first stirrings of love—crafting an enchanting and luminous portrait of boyhood in Ukraine. Then, without warning, the world shatters. As the Russian invasion tears through their homeland, Artem—whose thoughts and dreams we've come to know with piercing intimacy—must protect his brother Yuri from the unimaginable destruction. With extraordinary precision, Wachman traces the brothers' harrowing journey across a ravaged country to reunite with their father, capturing both the unspeakable horrors of war and the inextinguishable spirit of the Ukrainian people. The Sunflower Boys is a devastating reminder of how quickly peace can unravel—and a powerful affirmation of what remains when survival transforms us into people we never imagined. Sam Wachman has a talent beyond his years." — Santiago Jose Sanchez, author of Hombrecito"The Sunflower Boys is both timely and timeless—a look at the persistence of ache, love, and tenderness in a brutal world. Wachman has written a novel that is pure life-force. This is a book I will return to for the rest of my life.”  — August Thompson, author of Anyone's Ghost“The Sunflower Boys is a powerful queer coming-of-age story as well as a harrowing depiction of two young brothers plunged into the current war in Ukraine. Wachman manages to tell both stories with charm and grace.” — Maria Kuznetsova, author of Something Unbelievable“Wachman’s wrenching debut chronicles the Ukraine-Russia war from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy….[A] striking first novel…its rewards are extraordinary.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A gorgeously immersive story....breathtaking.... About as amazing and impressive as you can imagine, this 25-year-old debut author from Massachusetts has evoked the details of life in Ukraine with utterly convincing clarity, and his depiction of the specific brutality of war will bring you to tears. (Artem) is a narrator to fall in love with, evoking connections to the work of Anthony Marra, Justin Torres, and J.D. Salinger.... Wachman does the essential work of making us feel....With its luminous depiction of all that has been lost and what remains at risk, there is no better book to read right now.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Tender and poignant, shot through with deep sadness and wry humor, The Sunflower Boys is a bittersweet rendering of life in modern-day Ukraine, the effect of war on ordinary lives, and a young person discovering who he is.” — Shelf Awareness (starred review)"A powerful survival story." — NPR“Writing a Novel of the War in Ukraine: Sam Wachman Unpacks the Challenges of Sharing Truths in Fiction.”  — Literary Hub”A tender and moving story about love and belonging, as a young boy comes to terms with his sexuality, set against war breaking out in Ukraine. This book could not come at a more poignant time as the world watches Ukrainian lives continue to be destroyed. Wachman immerses readers in the visceral realities of trauma and hope with profound insight.” — Debutiful “The Most Anticipated Debut Books"“A beautifully written dramatization of a terrible current event.” — Forbes"Set in modern-day Ukraine, Sam Wachman’s debut novel, The Sunflower Boys, combines the devastating impact of an invaded country with the love and lost innocence of a boy as he discovers his identity." — Queerty“Sam Wachman’s debut is a coming-of-age story about a young boy’s exploration of queer identity and his fight to keep himself and his brother alive when Ukraine is attacked.” — We Are Bookish"Wachman has crafted a narrative that is specific and deeply resonate....(he)allows us to feel and sense the despair of war--and hope for peace." — The Swell