Marina Litvinenko Writes Her Own Account of a Poisoning and the Fight That Followed

Marina Litvinenko has published a memoir about her husband's death, and it is now the subject of a major review. The Guardian reviewed the book, A Life in Fragments: Our Love, His Murder, My Resistance, on 4 November 2026, and listed it as its Book of the day, the paper's daily pick.

Her husband, Alexander Litvinenko, was a former officer of Russia's security services who lived in London. He was poisoned in November 2006 with polonium, a rare radioactive element, which was placed in his tea. He had met two visitors from Moscow, Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun, at the Millennium hotel the evening before he became seriously ill. He died later that month.

The memoir was written with Emily Fairbairn, and Bloomsbury, the London publisher, is bringing it out. A memoir is a personal account of a life, usually written in the author's own voice. Co-written means a professional writer helped shape the text, while the story stays the author's.

The book covers ground that has been public for years, but from inside the family. A public inquiry later concluded that Vladimir Putin had "probably" approved the killing. Lugovoy went on to become a member of Russia's parliament. Russia has rejected the findings.

Marina Litvinenko asked the British government for a public inquiry at the time. Theresa May, then Home Secretary, refused, saying such an inquiry might harm international relations. Marina gave evidence at a 2015 inquest held in the High Court in London, which did reach the conclusions described above.

The Guardian's reviewer describes the book as the testimony of an extraordinary woman. The review calls Marina Litvinenko plucky and dogged, and also kind and empathic.

For readers coming to this story for the first time, the book is a first-hand record of a long fight. It is one woman's account of losing her husband, and of pursuing answers from governments and courts for years afterwards. The memoir is published by Bloomsbury.