It is the perspective of journalist and author, Valery Panyushkin, which immediately marks Displaced out as notable. Described as a “Russian writer’s tribute to the courage of the Ukrainian people,” the book focuses on the experiences of Ukrainian refugees forced to flee by Putin’s invasion. Although he rarely dwells on it, Panyushkin’s anguish at what his countrymen are doing to their neighbours is a vivid theme throughout Displaced, revealing family feuds over whether the ‘special military operation’ was a necessary act of pre-emptive retaliation or an unprovoked atrocity. There’s even an implication that it was the writing of this book which kept Panyushkin from suicide, such was the weight of grief and shame he felt.

Translated from Russian, the language at times feels clunky, but the stories contained within are powerful and compelling. Tragedy stalks Displaced’s pages, but there is humanity there too, whether shown by the thousands of volunteers swinging into action to support the refugees to find new lives away from the war (including incredible stories of volunteers evacuating nursing homes), or of the care that refugees show their fellows as they flee together.

Tales of adaptation (and its struggles) to those new ways of life add a rarely heard perspective, and Panyushkin’s ability to tell stories from both the familiar West and those of refugees forced East into Russia offer a distinct and memorable take on the disruption and chaos which has been thrust upon those displaced by the war.