Cultivating Diamonds

By Suzanne S. Austin-Hill

To be cultivated, diamonds must be formed.  Over millions of years, pressure at a level of insanity and heat causing all in its path to blister confirms their sparkle doesn’t come easy.  So, it is with the philosophical-sci fi novel, Cultivating Diamonds, and author, Ihor Pavlyuk.

This work takes the reader from the frontlines in Ukraine to the outer reaches of existence as Ihor compares everyday struggles of people to the challenges cosmic beings face when posed with how to properly toy with man. In this, the reading experience is at both times heartbreaking and amusing.

The reading experience is far from traditional, but that is a strength.

Ihor doesn’t seem constricted by familiar frameworks for storytelling. Instead, his words function as wisdom and narrative in the same sentence. You’ll read through scenes, dialogue, and descriptions as one would expect from a work of fiction, but you may also find yourself drifting from the page to consider a passage like the following:

“Truth, too, is a child: screams and screams – and no one knows what it wants. Truth has no possessions, only a future and itself”

If there was a main character in this book, it would be 24-X-315.

While they appear as a normal human, 24-X-315 is the title given by the celestials that watch them from above. 24-X-315 is being tracked and evaluated because “His energy is terrifying”. What they mean is that this person has the potential to form a diamond more than anyone else on earth. 24-X-315 possesses the perfect environmental, emotional, and intellectual factors necessary to grow through their experiences and become someone of incredible ability. Whether they choose to write, paint, speak, or simply interact with others, 24-X-315 can cultivate their diamond to do just that. 

The thesis for this novel can be, “the human soul is a diamond-in-the-rough.”  Using this premise, Ihor weaves his personal against-all-odds life experiences with expert character development to dramatically detail a tapestry revealing the who, what, when, why, and how, uniquely, souls learn to shine.

Ihor believes, and I’m inclined to agree, that through considerable friction and belief, we can achieve our potential. Cultivating a diamond means overcoming the challenges put before us to achieve a greater measure of success. While he often refers to artistic genius in these realized diamonds, Ihor also believes that a sense of peaceful purpose is available to all that allow themselves to struggle enough for their diamond to be formed.

The prose is beautiful, often allowing Ihor’s natural proclivity for poetry to flow through his dialogue and descriptions. The depth of this relatively slim novel comes in Ihor’s frequent perspective shifting. One page you’re reading a silly conversation between the characters of Space and Time while the next you’re thrust into the hard life of a person living in a county at war.

Through this juxtaposition, I felt Ihor was telling me that it truly all happens at once. So, in the face of this chaos, we are left with only the choice to act.

Choice is a major driver of Cultivating Diamonds. Ihor was orphaned at an early age and, while he was raised by his loving grandmother, life was almost never easy. Ihor made a choice to push himself to achieve becoming The People’s Poet of Ukraine. His choices from childhood led him to create beautiful works like this.

Through that experience, Ihor’s characters are filled with choices. The celestial entities bickering of details make choices that send ripples down onto earth. Then the humans are left to react to these choices and make their own. The designated 24-X-315 transforms through choices, leaving the celestials to begin focusing on 24-Y-315. Such is life!

Where the novel leaves the reader, Ihor’s poetry assumes the reins. Once the story is concluded, we are treated to seven original poems that share themes with the novel. As with the story, Ihor breathes through these poems to share experiences of grief and loss working as pillars to uphold faith.

Cultivating Diamonds is one of the most original works I’ve had the pleasure to read. I recommend it strongly for the curious soul and open heart. Ever the master craftsperson, his exploration and explanation of the brightest (and darkest) sides of the human experience are plausible, pertinent, and most timely, peace-seeking.

This book is available through Amazon and can be purchased from the publisher, Buster Bodhi Press.

Suzanne S. Austin-Hill

                                                Author of Sixty-seven Pages from the Heart

Poetry recognized by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies and the Florida State Poets Association

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