Description

In post-soviet Georgia, on the outskirts of Tbilisi, on the corner of Kerch St., is an orphanage. Its teachers offer pupils lessons in violence, abuse and neglect. Lela is old enough to leave but has nowhere else to go. She stays and plans for the children’s escape, for the future she hopes to give to Irakli, a young boy in the home. When an American couple visits, offering the prospect of a new life, Lela decides she must do everything she can to give Irakli this chance.

Publisher Review

'Nana Ekvtimishvili has written a merciless book that gives voice to those left behind whilst crying out against apathy and brutality.' HOLGER HEIMANN, WDR 5 'This novel becomes more complicated, more poetic, more nuanced from page to page (...) with characters that could be in any Dickens novel.' STEFAN MESCH, SPIEGEL ONLINE 'This is more than just a cleverly designed novel. The book is the sharp-sighted portrait of a society that loses its humanity on its way to a new era. A moving debut.' MIRKO SCWANITZ, NDR