The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar

Volodya is the protagonist of The Kitchen Boy and narrates most of the novel. He is first introduced in Chapter 1 as Mikhail “Misha” Semyonov—a fake identity he took on when he moved to the United States with his wife, Maria—daughter of Tsar Nikolai II—in 1918. Volodya recounts his experience with the Romanovs to his granddaughter, Kate, via tapes. In these tapes, he claims to be Leonka, a kitchen boy who worked for the royal family at Ipatiev House and witnessed their execution. In the Epilogue, Volodya’s true name and role as a former Bolshevik guard are revealed.

A young Volodya lies about his identity in order to keep him and Maria safe, as both are afraid of being executed by Russia’s Communist state. It is only after the fall of the USSR in 1993 that Volodya is willing to tell his version of history to Kate. Volodya also lies about his identity for another reason: He cannot own up to his dark past, let alone share it with those he loves. Only Maria knew Volodya’s past as a Bolshevik; everybody else in his life believed he was a poor Russian migrant who made his money via stocks.