As a former resident of Tbilisi, I was really excited to hear about this book. My Mom read it and liked it, and I saw that it was on the wishlist of the winner of the Authors from Unusual Countries sweeps, so sent to them directly. Enjoy!

A bit later, I finished reading the book myself. Here is the review I posted on GoodReads:
"I REALLY wanted to like this, but I just couldn't get into it. I felt that the plot dragged and dragged. That's aside from the fact that I know Georgia well (first visited in 2010, lived there for more than a decade), and the vibe, people and culture never felt right. I'm usually OK with suspension of disbelief and literary license, but something rubbed me the wrong way. It felt like the author, who immigrated away as a child, felt like he was too good for Georgia and leaned into the misery porn aspect. (and I'm not against books that portray negative parts of Georgian history or show the country in a negative light. Both "The Pear Field" and "The Eighth Life" are pretty dark, but I thought they were excellent reads)"

From goodreads:
Amid rubble and rebuilding in a former Soviet land, one family must rescue one another and put the past to a stirring novel about what happens after the fighting is over

“My mother stayed, so that we could go.”

Having fled conflict in the former-Soviet Republic of Georgia as children, Saba and his brother have fought to make peace with the past. In particular, they struggle with the sacrifices of a mother who remained in a war zone so that their father could get them out. Now, years later, the brothers are young adults, their mother is dead, and their father has been lured back to their beautiful, decaying homeland – only to disappear. Then Saba’s older brother, chasing after their missing father, vanishes too.

Left alone to figure out what has happened and to find his family, Saba sets off on his own urgent, haunted search across his homeland. Accompanied by new friends and old ghosts as he follows a breadcrumb trail of clues, he must wrestle the present from the past as he crosses into the kind of danger zones – both physical and emotional – that he thought he had left behind.

Harrowing and tender but leavened with humor and an appreciation for the absurd, Hard by a Great Forest offers a unique story about traumas of war felt even decades after the fighting, and the long-term effects on those families driven not just to survive, but to remember.

Sent directly to the winner via Amazon Australia

I was very excited and surprised to receive this book. I’ve only recently added it to my Wishlist after hearing the author speak about it on a literature podcast. I loved the way Tbilisi was described as a city with architectural layers reflecting the changes it has experienced. I’m fascinated also by the idea of travelling back to a place that was once home but, although familiar, you no longer fit. The plot of searching for family in a strange place after fleeing was also appealing.
I love that you have a personal connection to this book cookiescaucasus, having lived in Georgia yourself. I also love that your Mum loved this book. I often share books with my mum too and when I saw this cover I thought immediately that I would pass it to my mum after reading it!
After reading your journal entry I also realise I am the lucky decoy winner of the unusual country sweep. I feel very lucky and especially grateful as it just happens to be my birthday this week!

I loved this! A google image search of some of the places described was beautiful. What a stunning place Georgia is. Passing onto my mum and then will be planning to pass onto another bookcrosser through a sweep, book box or other.
“I gasped, laughed and wept my way through it” Khaled Hosseini

Selected from the Oz Virtual Book Box and in the post today. Thanks for your patience.

Received via OzVbb. Looking forward to this one.