In one of her few, choice inserts to the narrative, author (or compiler?) Alexievich assures her narrator that his story will be told: “I am a cold-blooded historian,” she says. “All voices will be heard.”
Somehow, Alexievich turns “all voices” into a rich chorale of contrapuntal stories and tones when it could have blurred into cacophony. The oral nature of these stories—Alexievich apparently tape recorded most of them—make this perfect for the audio format, as does having a cast of readers who enliven every tragedy and comedy within.
I doubt I understand the “history” any better after listening to this, but I have touched in some small way the variety of human experience of that period and place.