Historical Fiction

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1
Hard by a Great Forest
Hard by a Great Forest
Leo Vardiashvili
Hard by a Great Forest follows Saba, a young man who returns to Georgia after years of exile in England when his father disappears and his brother becomes caught up in a search for him. Growing up in the aftermath of civil conflict, Saba carries painful memories of leaving his homeland and the family members he could not protect. His search leads him through a landscape filled with abandoned places, unsettling encounters, and stories that blur the boundaries between reality and folklore. As he follows the trail of his missing relatives, he must confront the history his family has tried to escape. Vardiashvili combines suspense, dark humour, and elements of fairy tale to explore displacement, grief, and the lasting effects of political violence. At its heart, the novel asks how far people will go to recover the family and home they have lost.
Georgia 2025
2
Lack of Light
Lack of Light
Nino Haratischwili
The Lack of Light follows four women—Nene, Ira, Dina, and Keto—whose friendship begins in a Tbilisi courtyard during the final years of the Soviet Union. As they grow up, Georgia undergoes dramatic political and social transformations, including independence, civil conflict, and the rise of criminal networks. Each woman pursues a different future, but their lives remain bound together by shared memories, personal loyalties, and the consequences of choices made during their youth. Years later, a photographic exhibition devoted to Dina prompts Keto to revisit their intertwined histories and reconsider the events that shaped their friendship. Haratischwili portrays a generation coming of age amid uncertainty, where private hopes collide with political violence and social instability. The novel explores friendship, memory, loss, and the lasting impact of a society struggling to define itself after the collapse of an empire.
Georgia 2022
3
The Eighth Life (for Brilka)
The Eighth Life (for Brilka)
Nino Haratischwili
The Eighth Life (for Brilka) follows seven generations of a Georgian family across the twentieth century, beginning in the early 1900s and continuing through the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the centre of the story is a family secret connected to a remarkable recipe for hot chocolate, which brings both extraordinary pleasure and devastating consequences. Through the lives of Stasia, Christine, Kostya, Kitty, and their descendants, the novel explores love, ambition, political repression, and the sacrifices people make to survive turbulent times. The family’s history unfolds against the backdrop of revolutions, Stalinism, world wars, and the struggle for Georgian independence. Narrated by Niza, who recounts the family’s past to her young niece Brilka, the novel examines how historical trauma is passed from one generation to another and whether understanding the past can offer a chance to break its cycle.
Georgia 2014