Vanguard

Do the words "historical fiction" make you shudder? At the mention of history, do your eyelids start to close as you struggle to remain awake? If so, "The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar" by Robert Alexander may change your mind. At 240 pages, it may not be a light read, but it is as interesting as it is informative. Also, it will give you, the reader, a chance to throw out random tidbits of knowledge about the Romanov family at parties. Okay, maybe not, but this novel is certainly worth taking a look at.

"The Kitchen Boy" is the supposed true story of what happened to the Romanov family in their last days. The novel's main purpose is to reveal one of the greatest mysteries of modern history. The last Imperial family of Russia was removed from their lives of unimaginable luxury, imprisoned and then murdered by the Bolsheviks in the Russian revolution.
Although none of this is mystifying, two of the Romanov children's bodies were never found. That mystery has encouraged the thought that perhaps somehow Maria and Alexei Romanov had escaped.

The book begins with Leonka, the former kitchen boy of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, admitting he saw the horrific murders of the last Tsar of Russia and his family. Only Leonka, now an old man full of contrition and pain, knows what really happened that dark night of July 16, 1918.
As the only survivor of the Romanov household, Leonka gives an intriguing and sorrowful account of the ill-fated royal family's last days. Two narratives intertwine: one through Leonka's boyish eyes and another through Leonka's eyes that is made world-weary by inner torment. In this novel the fragility and complexity of the last imperial family of Russia is explored through their daily life. Despite the murders of the family and their closest servants, hope is renewed decades afterwards in the form of Leonka's granddaughter.

Robert Alexander is a national bestselling author, and it is not hard to see why. Although the novel may drag in spots, it has an unexpected twist at the end to compensate. He makes something that occurred long ago personal and relateable. Sympathy is evoked, and the reader finds himself mourning the tragedies that must come to pass.

Alexander's meticulous research is evident and so is his respect for the Romanov family. The book makes the long dead imperial family of Russia come alive. This novel does not feature the glittering, royal life of the last Tsar of Russia and his family. Rather it paints a portrait of a simple, close-knit and loving family with tragic flaws. Alexander stresses the strengths of the last Tsar and his beloved Alexandra, but he also unabashedly reveals the personal weaknesses that led to their downfall. The tragically fated royal family is a fascinating subject and their world is brought painfully to the reader's consciousness in this historical novel.

For nearly 30 years, Robert Alexander has been traveling to Russia, where he has attended Leningrad State University. He was born and raised in Chicago and now lives in Minneapolis.

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