OBOC - Georgia

Granny, Iliko, Illarion and I hands down is one of the funnest books i've read as part of OBOC. Set during the second world war this is a semi-autobiographical account of Nodar Dumbadze's youth spent with his granny and two old men Iliko and Illarion as the title indicates. I picked up the book prepping myself for a Dostoevesky type read and what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be! The tone of the book is Wodehouseian with a lot of humorous reflections of mundane events but it is also mixed with nostalgia. Distinctly national in setting one gets a vivid picture of the Georgian countryside and Tbilisi.

As a mom I often read picture books for my little one and have always wondered why pictures disappear from books as one gets older. Granny and I has proved adding pictures to a novel can only enhance it even if it is meant for grown ups. Beautiful illustrations add great color to some of the rip-roaring anecdotes. Iliko and Illarion are straight out of Grumpy Old Men - the two of them get on each other's nerves but can't imagine life without the other. Constantly playing tricks on each other, they often involve the young Zuriko in their grand schemes. Zuriko is more than happy to participate especially if it gets him out of school. I especially liked the couple of pages where he describes a collective farmers meeting when they decide whether the office needs to be dismantled and moved nearer to the Chairman's house. I haven't let out a chuckle when reading in a long time. Some of the anecdotes in Granny and I actually made me laugh out loud.  Granny accidentally getting Zuriko's first love letter intended for Mary, Zuriko's first train journey to Tbilisi, and Seraponia who in my opinion is second only to Wodehouse's Empress!

Of course the book also has many nostalgic elements, death of Murada the dog and Pakizo the cow, Illarion losing one eye and having to face Iliko, Zuriko turning down Zira's love out of loyalty for Mary, and of course granny's death at the very end of the book.  Hats off to the translators who have done an awesome job in getting the humor and nostalgia across. I will now keep an eye out for other works of Dumbadze.