Olga Lukyanova

Ugh, a book about emigration? That’s not relevant to me — I’m not going to read it.” That’s what I thought before picking up Europe Within Me by Ekaterina Hoarau.

But the book turned out to be about something much larger: people living in other countries, their different ways of seeing the world, different ways of living — and what we might learn from them. At the same time, the author reflects deeply and shares very personal experiences, which gives the book an almost therapeutic quality. There are so many thoughtful and profound reflections on how to live and what other cultures can teach us.

Running through the entire book is the thread of Katya’s studies in Moscow, her life in Belarus, France, and Italy, interwoven with stories of her friends living abroad. Each story contains something vulnerable and intimate — something that surprises you, invites you to rethink your own experiences, and perhaps even change something in your life.

One especially unforgettable moment is when a friend compliments the author and tells her she is beautiful. Ekaterina brushes it off, but he responds unexpectedly: “Of course you have imperfections. I meant that taken as a whole — as a person — you are beautiful.”

The book is built from these kinds of small mosaics, and together they form a remarkable collection of stories. If I tried to list every moment I loved, I would end up retelling the entire book. It’s better to read it for yourself and discover your own experience of it. And I really do mean read — although listening to Katya is a pleasure in itself — because the book is illustrated with absolutely stunning artwork.

What makes it even more extraordinary is how sensitively the artist Barbara Fomina captured the meanings and atmosphere of the text, and how beautifully she translated them into images