The book is a first person account of a soldierâs journey, and is based on Artem Chekhâs diary that he wrote while and after his service in the war in Donbas. One of the most important messages the book conveys is that war means pain. Chekh is not showing the reader any heroic combat, focusing instead on the quiet, mundane, and harsh soldierâs life. Chekh masterfully selects the most poignant details of this kind of life.