The Time They Had: a true story of love and war

When writer Don Snyder travels to Ukraine in the midst of war, he is drawn by the story of one woman: Iryna, whose husband and beloved brother volunteered to defend their country and never returned.

As he follows the traces of their lives – from childhood under the Soviet Union to the promise of an independent Ukraine, from first love and family life to the devastation of loss – he discovers a story that is at once deeply personal and profoundly universal. Through Iryna’s memories, the voices of those left behind, and the enduring bonds of family, a portrait emerges of a people determined to preserve their humanity in the face of violence.

Part love story, part war testimony, and part meditation on grief, memory, and the passing of time, The Time They Had explores what remains after everything seems to have been taken away. Set against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is a moving account of courage, resilience, and the lives that continue long after the headlines have faded. Above all, it is a tribute to the power of love to outlast loss, and to the stories that keep the dead alive in the hearts of those who remember them.