This is a book that sits with you. One that you can’t wait to get back to when forced take breaks. It is a book that hits hard because of how deeply human it is, but also because of the reality that this was real life for some. “The Lack of Light” follows the lives of four Georgian women, from adolescence into adulthood, during a time of much political unrest and the collapse of the Soviet Union—a part of history that I would have never learned about were it not for this novel. We see how this upheaval impacts the way they navigate friendships, relationships, and their own inner worlds and the power of memory decades later. The english translation had such beautiful prose that I can’t even imagine how much more beautiful the writing is in its original language. Thank you, Nino Haratischwili, for such a breathtaking story. And thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

If there was 2025 release I could recommend to other readers, I think this would be it. If you love messy female friendship stories, if you love Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet, if you love stories that will break your heart and put it back together again, read this book.

I inhaled this book over the course of two days; the world that the author builds in this story is so visceral, so tangible that I felt like I needed to go back every time I put the book down. I went back because I felt like I needed to be back with these characters and was waiting for them to catch a break and to find some joy in this heartbreaking time. There were so many heavy topics in this story but, many beautiful moments too, which is important to remember throughout the book. There is a pivotal moment in the book and the characters harken back to to this experience, citing it as the moment that changed everything— it was one of those scenes that I read and kept thinking back to, becoming heavier and more significant the more that I thought about it. The moral questions raised here and the survival of these characters in this time of life changing events, in pre and post Soviet Georgia, was unlike anything I’ve read before and somehow still left me with feeling hopeful, which is quite a feat considering the subject matter.

These characters felt so real to me and by the end, I felt like I knew them all well. I’m sure they’ll continue to live in my mind and I hope they and this book get the attention it deserves! I’d absolutely recommend this book and will look forward to any new translations of this author’s work in the future! Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review.

The Lack of Light is a heartbreakingly beautiful story of a group of four women growing up in the country of Georgia throughout the 90s. It shows the impact that growing up in a war-torn country can have on people- the danger not only of combat, but of gangs, drugs, and instability. At the same time, it shows how normal life just goes on, even in those circumstances- people love each other, argue, have good times, and experience tragedies. This book is both a chronicle of Georgian life and of fierce female friendship. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before. I would warn future readers about the presence of SA, self harm, suicide, and drug use. This is one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Nino Haratischwili, acclaimed for her International Booker Prize nominated The Eighth Life, wrote a masterful and emotionally resonant saga with The Lack of Light: A Novel of Georgia. This is an intelligent book, brimming with both grand historical sweeps and intimate, profound insights that linger long after the final page.

At its heart lies the unbreakable, yet ultimately tested, bond between four remarkably distinct women: Nene, the outsider Ira, Dina, and Keto. Their story unfolds in the heart of an old Tbilisi courtyard, a vivid backdrop against the tumultuous twilight of the Soviet Union. As their country teeters on the brink of an uncertain future, these inseparable childhood friends navigate rites of passage such as love and disappointment – amplified by the raw, dangerous realities of their changing world. From local mob wars and burgeoning romances to the devastating reach of civil conflict and a ravaging drug epidemic, their personal lives are inextricably woven into Georgia's fraught political landscape.

Haratischwili masterfully portrays how these external pressures threaten to swallow their worlds, yet, for a time, their friendship remains strong. However, an unforgivable act of betrayal and a tragic death ultimately shatter this seemingly indestructible bond, casting a long shadow over their lives.

Many years later, the narrative skillfully shifts as the three survivors – Nene, Ira, and Keto – reunite at a major retrospective of their late friend’s photography. This powerful device allows the past to resurface, as the pictures on display not only chronicle the dramatic story of their homeland but also serve as a profound, confronting mirror to their shared history and staggering loss. Yet, in this confrontation, a glimmer of something new emerges, hinting at the difficult, but not impossible, path towards forgiveness.

The Lack of Light is an expansive, decades-spanning epic that invites readers to lose themselves within its pages. Haratischwili’s prose brings to life the vibrant colors of Georgia’s unique culture and its resilient people, making the setting as much a character as the women themselves. This is an emotionally bold and immersive experience, a novel that promises to resonate and will undoubtedly be a book readers will wish to return to again and again.

First, Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read amazing books in advance. It's such a cool thing that we get to do.

Nino Haratischwili is now an automatic read for me. After reading "The 8th Life (For Brilka)" and now "The Lack of Light: A Novel of Georgia", Haratischwili's prowess as an author is fully established as brilliant. "The Lack of Light" is a tragic, hopeful tale of women and friendship and their unwavering determination to survive through the depths of despair in a country that is broken and chaotic. Keto, the narrator, while at an exhibition of her childhood friend Dina's brilliant photography, is reminded by each photo she comes across of the events of her childhood, growing up in Tbilisi, Georgia and surrounded by gangs, chaos, and violence. Through the strength of her friendship with her three best friends --Dina, Nene, and Ira, she is able to make it through. We see her own personality, at first tentative, fearful, and insecure, blossoming as she finds herself in her independence.

Haratischwili cuts no corners. The traumatic events experienced by her characters have significant effects on them, and it is clear that their brokenness is a result of the various ways they cope with tragedy. This is not a happy story; it is incredibly sad, tragic, and violent in some areas, but through all that is a string of hope and perseverance, love and friendship, which provides the characters (and the reader even) the guiding light to make it to completion.

I'll be looking out for the next Nino Haratischwili epic, no doubt about it.