gifted by the publisher

"They say you can never go home again. But what if you can? What if you should? What if no matter what you do with your life, you'll somehow always end up in that place you didn't want to leave?"

After fleeing the conflict in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, Saba Sulidze-Donauri and his family struggle to reconcile the fact that they left their mom behind, unable to get her out. Decades pass, and the death of their mom prompts Saba's dad, Irakli, to return to Georgia—only to go missing, followed by his older brother's mysterious disappearance. Now, it's Saba's turn to search for his fractured family and piece together their cryptic messages.

GREAT FOREST is inspired by Hansel and Gretel and perfectly captures the eerie atmosphere of lost children in a dangerous foreign land. On top of that, there's also an arc of escaped zoo animals due to a flood—inspired by true events—police pursuing the Sulidze-Donauri family, Saba's dreams/hallucinations from relatives' ghosts who perished in war-torn Georgia, and a play.

Encapsulated in all the chaotic goose chases and wild adventures across Georgia is the theme of returning home. The juxtaposition of Irakli's and Saba's homecoming is one of the most fascinating explorations of how war trauma and grief affect one's relationship with their homeland. For some, it's a wish to be buried in the land where your ancestors are, and for others, it's the desire to search for hope after mass destruction.

I especially loved the friendship between Saba and his taxi driver, Nodar, who almost stole the show and reminded me of Samwise Gamgee