Elizabeth Gilbert halts The Snow Forest novel over Ukraine war

Author Elizabeth Gilbert, seen here in 2019, said she will halt the release of her latest novel

Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert said she will pause the publication of a new novel set in Soviet Russia after a backlash over releasing the book during the war in Ukraine.

Ms Gilbert said she is "making a course correction" after fans expressed "disappointment and pain" over her new novel, The Snow Forest.

"It is not the time for this book to be published," she said.

The book was set to be released in February 2024.

The Snow Forest is based on the Lykov family, who spent more than 40 years in the Siberian wilderness with little human contact. Ms Gilbert said she was inspired to write the novel after isolating during the pandemic.

But shortly after teasing the release of the book on her social media platforms, Ms Gilbert said she began to hear criticism from some Ukrainian fans.

Comments posted in her feed noted the February 2024 release date would coincide with the anniversary of the war. Others compared publishing a book "glorifying" Russians to "writing a book about brave Germans in the 1940s".

In a statement posted across her social media platforms, Ms Gilbert said she had seen the comments expressing "anger, sorrow and disappointment" and decided to halt the novel's release.

"I do not want to add any harm to a group of people who have already experienced - and who are all continuing to experience - grievous and extreme harm," she said.

She assured fans that anyone who pre-ordered the novel would be "fully refunded."

Ms Gilbert's novels often focus on her characters' internal exploration and growth and her book, Eat, Pray, Love, propelled her to literary success.

She said after halting the release of The Snow Forest, she will now focus on other literary projects.