The Lack of Light by Nino Haratischwili

 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.