The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar

“Turning around, Sister Antonina nodded ever so slightly to Novice Marina. The girl edged slightly out into the hall, looked one way, the other, then offered a small nod in return. Sister Antonina, satisfied that the guard with the blond beard was no longer nearby, reached into her basked and lifted the glass bottle of milk.”

In Chapter 2, Volodya begins recording his version of history for Kate. Here, Volodya attributes the delivery of the “White Army” letters to Sister Antonina and her ward, Novice Marina; this change in narrative is just as important as Volodya’s decision to hide under the false identity of Leonka. By changing the true courier, Volodya erases Bolshevik involvement with the letters and, in the process, erases himself from this history.

“Katya, do you know what is as asinine as kommunizm? Autocracy. One man, one person, cannot rule the hearts and minds of millions. Liberty, freedom, truth—this America can be such a silly place, so fickle and naïve—sometimes so childish!—but it saves itself because of those first three things. If only Nikolai hadn’t so ardently believed in divine rule.”

Volodya attributes the Russian Revolution (the toppling of the Russian monarchy) to national frustrations over autocracy. In the early 20th century, tensions in Russia reached their breaking point, due in part to Tsar Nikolai II’s poor attempt to unite a nation with great ethnic, ideological, and spiritual diversity under his vision for Russia. Volodya critiques the United States for its naivete but concedes that it is preferable to Russia’s troubled political history. This quote also reflects Volodya’s bitterness toward both the tsar and communism. In his final days, Volodya continuously wishes that the tsar could have had the foresight to save his country from Bolshevik rule.

“Oh, I was so young. And they were such awful times. In short, I must confess that I did something very foolish. Would that I could change one thing...just that one small thing. Oh, such a mistake I made! Gospodi Pomilooi—the Lord have mercy—the Romanovs all died because of me.”

Without knowing the narrator’s true identity, this quote reads as Leonka the kitchen boy expressing guilt over an innocent mistake. However, with Volodya’s reveal, the quote takes a dark turn. Volodya is not referencing some innocent mistake here: He is referring to his young adult self being drawn to a political ideology that pushed him to gain the Romanovs’ trust and lure them to their deaths. This is a rare moment in the novel in which Volodya tells the truth, confessing in explicit terms that the Romanovs died because of him.

“‘Why does the Empress stare at that rug on the wall?’ I asked my uncle as we passed through the main doors from their apartments, the very doors once guarded by their faithful Negroes, the huge men dressed in turbans and colorful dress. ‘Who is that woman pictured?’ ‘Marie Antoinette,’ he replied in his deep voice, leaving it at that, as if I should know.”

In Chapter 5, Volodya provides a false backstory for Leonka, as the boy and his uncle tour the Romanovs’ royal palace prior to working there. Volodya mentions a specific portrait in Tsaritsa Aleksandra’s vast art collection—that of Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinette was the wife of Louis XVI, the last king of France. Marie Antoinette and her family were imprisoned by those leading the French Revolution and eventually executed. The portrait of the last French queen foreshadows Aleksandra’s own fate as the last Russian empress who will experience her own imprisonment and execution.

“In this century, however, there has been no woman more maligned or misunderstood than the Empress Aleksandra Fyodorovna, consort to the Tsar of All the Russias, just as there has been no woman whose gross mistakes—no matter how inadvertent—have hurt, even killed, so many millions. A wise woman she was not.”

Volodya attributes the fall of Russia’s monarchy to Tsaritsa Aleksandra’s obsession with religion and spirituality. Specifically, he feels that Aleksandra had an unhealthy attachment to her spiritual advisor, Rasputin, whose advice caused her to make poor decisions which weakened the resolve of Russia’s monarchy. Volodya’s harsh language reflects his narration’s highly subjective nature, as well as his clear preference for Tsar Nikolai over his wife.

“Such a kind man was Nikolai II. So sweet. So tender. And gentle. He loved nothing more than his family and his country. He hated disagreements, either within his vast, squabbling house or among his ministers, both great and small, or anywhere else, for that matter, within his enormous realm.”

When one compares the language in this quote to that describing Tsaritsa Aleksandra, the contrast is clear: Volodya reveres the tsar. The Tsar is a patriarchal figure for the young Volodya—who finds an empathy in Nikolai that he does not receive from the Bolsheviks. Volodya’s ruminations on the tsar’s kindness also reflect the guilt he feels over having played a part in his death.

“In his own child he saw living proof that he had survived, and it was almost more than he could bear, for Misha had never been able to escape from the belief that it should have been him who was shot in the basement chamber, it should have been him dead on that road to village Koptyaki.”

One of Volodya’s primary traits is his pessimism. He is unable to see himself in a positive light nor the good he has done for others. Instead of seeing his child, his son with Maria, as living proof that he helped the Romanov bloodline survive, he only sees his betrayal of the Romanovs. Volodya is so traumatized by his past that it affects his closest kin.

“Simply, it somehow stumbled upon a perfect, yet altogether not random, chemical reaction: you take one part decent man but not enlightened ruler, one part heartbroken mother clutching for any way to save her son, two parts inbred dynasty and gossip-obsessed court, one part Great War, and three parts uneducated, worn, and hungry people, and—boom!—what do you get? Revolution, terrible revolution, of course!”

A cynical Volodya describes the “recipe” that led to the Russian Revolution—and with it, the fall of the tsar. He has no faith in his countrymen, attributing their support for the revolution to their worst qualities: their lack of education, their exhaustion, and their hunger. This quote reflects both Volodya’s scorn for the Bolshevik revolution and his own self-loathing—as he, too, was once a citizen drawn to the allure of the Communists.

“And so it was that the Tsar, the Orthodox Tsar, put the squash on the rescue plans not simply because of worries for himself and his close family, not simply for we who served him, but for those thugs who guarded them and were soon to kill them. How could he have been so stupid? Couldn’t Nikolai, didn’t Nikolai, see the tidal wave of blood flooding toward them, toward all of Rossiya?”

In Chapter 11, it is revealed that the tsar actively tried to stop his family’s rescue by the White Army—not because he suspected it was a Bolshevik plot, but because he did not want bloodshed on either side. Volodya expresses his frustration with Nikolai’s empathy and naivete, attributing these traits to his sense of honor and inability to predict the bloodshed to come.

“Lord, forgive me. But first make me suffer. I am the devil’s creation. Torture me and make me cry out for mercy, but make me suffer…for history shows that it was my grave error that precipitated the murder of the Tsar and his family. Yes, my dear granddaughter, Katya, I confess that it was my stupidity, an ignorant decision by a lowly kitchen boy, that gave the Bolshevik the excuse they had been seeking…”

While this quote is, in part, a confession, it also includes Volodya’s biggest lie: that he is Leonka the kitchen boy. This quote thus represents the duality of Volodya’s character, in which his truths are always followed by lies. Volodya’s language is rife with guilt and self-loathing in regards to his past. However, he also maintains his facade as Leonka, undercutting his emotional honesty with the sin of painting lies as objective history.

“Bit by bit, day by day, our world was shrinking. No longer did it seem as if we were merely under house arrest. Now, looking through those black iron bars, we all realized we were imprisoned, locked in a kind of grand cell from which there might well be no escape.”

The Kitchen Boy seeks to humanize the Romanovs during their final days. In the chapters taking place in 1918, much of the descriptions center on the oppressive atmosphere of Ipatiev House. This atmosphere becomes more acute as the Romanovs’ execution draws near. In this quote, Alexander captures the family’s growing anxiety and fear as the Bolsheviks reseal the previously open windows.

“While Nikolai was a slave to fate, Aleksandra believed in the duality of the prophecies, that what was written in the Bible of ancient times applied as well to her, a fallen queen. In the afternoon while Nikolai was pacing outside in the garden for his thirty minutes, Aleksandra and her second daughter, Tatyana, remained inside reading of the prophets’ gloom.”

Though they enjoy a loving marriage, Tsar Nikolai and Tsaritsa Aleksandra have different philosophies on how to deal with their imprisonment in Ipatiev House. In chapters where his family faces the likelihood of execution, Nikolai is composed and introverted as he mulls over his fate by himself. Aleksandra, influenced by her advisor Rasputin, has more mystical beliefs and prays with her daughters to find solace—and potential liberation—in the Bible. The Tsar’s realism and his wife’s mysticism remain consistent throughout the novel and represent both the pragmatic and spiritual sides of Russia.

“Lenin denied it all. During those tumultuous days, when the outside world couldn’t tell what happened to Nikolai and Aleksandra, Lenin claimed that the ex-Tsar was safe, that the rumors of their murderers were only a provocation and ‘lie of the capitalist press.’ But Lenin knew. Of course he did, for on that day, Tuesday July 16, 1918, he authorized not only the execution of Nikolai, but the entire family, including all the girls and the boy.”

Volodya condemns the Bolsheviks’ series of lies following the Romanovs’ execution. In particular, he criticizes Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks and head of the Soviet government, for denying his party’s involvement in said execution. However, such bitterness only contributes to Volodya’s self-loathing— as he is committing the same sin as Lenin as he speaks. Just as Lenin “rewrote” history to fit his agenda, so does Volodya in his recordings for Kate.

“Facts cannot lie, and in them I see that the stupidity of a young boy hastened the murder of the Imperial Family of Mother Russia and their four loyal attendants. Eleven people in total. But my guilt is even greater, for the Romanovs were more than simply people. Nikolai, Aleksandra, and their five children were the ultimate symbols, both good and bad, of all that was Russia, and their brutal murders unleashed such chaos and darkness.”

Volodya reckons with facts, lies, and the consequences of his actions. Although Volodya still claims he is Leonka, he simultaneously confesses his guilt for the role he played in the Romanovs’ execution. He recognizes that he was a key player in opening the door to what he sees as the darkest period in Russia’s history. In this quote, Volodya is at his most deceptive and honest—distancing himself from his own history by claiming the identity of an innocent.

“In my books I have since learned that earlier that afternoon Yurovsky and the murderers, all of whom were volunteers, not only agreed upon who was to shoot whom, but decided in an almost kind way that they should aim for the hearts so the victims wouldn’t suffer. My fate was also decided then. Yurovsky and his Red comrades had no way of knowing that it was I who had been the secret courier all along, they had not an inkling that it was I who had hidden the letter in the WC.”

When Volodya describes the Romanovs’ execution, he pretends as though he knows the details from history books. However, the truth is that he was one of the very men he is describing. The line “My fate was also decided then” is especially clever, as it reads as the Bolsheviks dismissing the kitchen boy, Leonka. However, after Volodya’s identity is revealed, this line clearly references the Bolsheviks’ decision to assign him the assassination of Grand Duchess Maria.

“Eleven men firing eleven guns for a minute is a lifetime. Upward of ten minutes is an eternity. But it took that long and longer to cut down those eleven victims. Eventually, the bullets began to slow and the smoke began to lift. Several of the men, vomiting and coughing on the acrid smoke, retreated into the hallway.”

Volodya is clearly traumatized by the execution of July 16, 1918. He describes the Bolsheviks’ brutality as almost transcending time, making 10 minutes feel like a lifetime—these mere 10 minutes destroying his life.

“The truck, oblivious, rumbled on into the madness of the night. Unbelievably, the second body moved and quivered and…and I wanted to scream out, to beg to God. It was the third child, Grand Duchess Maria who by some miracle was not only still alive, but trying to get up. She hadn’t fallen from the truck but thrown herself, and when I reached her she was trying to push herself to her knees. […] she had quite literally risen from the dead and she was as stunned as a newborn, shocked, even horrified, to find herself here on this earth.” 

In Chapter 18, Volodya as “Leonka” recounts his discovery of Maria’s survival. Volodya begging to God becomes more powerful upon learning he is a former Bolshevik guard. In this moment, Volodya feels as though God is confronting him with a moral choice: He can either remain loyal to the Bolsheviks or risk his life to save the last surviving Romanov. This moment was as much Volodya’s second chance at life as it was Maria’s.

“We put the boy to rest there in the soil of his Holy Mother Russia, the very soil which he himself had been born to protect, then covered him and hid the grave beneath branches and leaves so that the Reds could never find him, never bother him again. And he lies there hidden in that wood, undisturbed today, of that I am quite sure.”

Volodya, Sister Antonina, and Novice Marina work together to bury Aleksei’s body so he can rest in peace. Published in 2003, The Kitchen Boy was released before what remained of Aleksei and Maria were found in 2007. Alexander wrote his novel in a time when there was still speculation as to where—and if—the children were buried by the Bolsheviks, allowing him room to write a fictionalized account of Aleksei’s secret burial and Maria’s survival.

“And that was his reason for telling Kate his version of the final days of the Tsar—simply so that she could and would understand the meaning, the purpose and the true value of all these jewels in the room. Misha was laying at Kate’s feet not unfathomable wealth, but overwhelming, mind-boggling responsibility, and he had to make sure she understood every ramification.”

Volodya feels as though his series of lies is the best way for Kate to understand the importance of the Romanovs’ treasures, while simultaneously keeping her safe from the truth of her heritage. He is also afraid that his past as a Bolshevik will tarnish the weight of his story. The most important takeaway is that Kate now has a duty to ensure the Romanov treasures are returned to Russia.

“Sure, that was exactly what the audiotape was: one singular, gross lie. From now and hopefully forever more his Kate would believe that he, Misha, had been none other than the young Leonid Sednyov, when in fact nothing could have been further from the truth. Of course he’d been there, but not as the little kitchen boy. It was May herself who’d come up with the idea of supplanting one lie with another, of crafting a story so close to the truth that no one would ever doubt that it was in fact the truth.” 

This quote reveals that it was Maria’s idea, not Volodya’s, to assume their fake identities as “May” and “Mikhail.” This transforms Volodya’s series of lies from an individual choice to a shared burden. Alexander keeps Volodya’s identity a secret until the Epilogue, denying his readers an immediate payoff to emphasize the depth of his protagonist’s lies. Volodya dying without revealing his identity is true to his character, his lifelong commitment to self-condemnation.

“It was odd, she continued, how she shied away from kids until the deaths of her grandparents. After that, she wanted a family right away, and a mere year later she’d given birth to Andrew and Melissa. The twins at first appeared beautiful and healthy, but then Andrew bumped his head, which resulted in a horrendous bruise.” 

Kate recounts her personal history to Marina: She identifies the birth of her children and her son’s illness as making her suspicious of the legitimacy of her grandfather’s story. Kate did not have children until after her grandparents died, so neither Maria nor Volodya got a chance to see that their grandchild carried the same blood disease as their beloved Aleksei.

“He had blond hair and a thin blond beard and was the youngest of them all, a lad of barely twenty, if that. Maybe only eighteen or nineteen, I don’t know. Everyone lied about everything back then—particularly boys whose fathers had died in the war—but this Volodya was one of the original interior guards. And the Tsar and Tsaritsa so trusted his innocent face—why, from time to time your grandfather even entertained the Heir, even played chess with him—which was why the Bolshevik used him.”

It is a second party, Marina, who reveals Volodya’s true identity—emphasizing the complicated web of secrets that surrounds him. This quote also implies that Volodya joined the Bolsheviks because his father died in World War I, driving the young man to embrace the Communists’ anti-war ideology and stand against the monarchy that sent his family members to die.

“‘My grandfather, the man who was both my grandmother’s executioner and her savior.’ […] So there it was: the final truth that a young princess entrusted her life to a young man who had tried to take it, and that very same young man pledged his life to the beautiful princess who had steered him from the path of evil. No wonder they had been so dedicated to one another.”

In the Epilogue, Kate learns the shocking truth behind her grandparents’ shared past: Not only was her grandfather a former guard for the Bolsheviks, but her grandmother was Tsar Nikolai II’s daughter Maria. Volodya and Maria’s relationship was characterized by devotion and duality: Volodya was both Maria’s doom and savior, and Maria herself helped Volodya find salvation. Their marriage also reveals why Volodya was so haunted by the Romanovs’ execution, as his own wife was the victim of his brutality.