Incredible starred reviews for Leo Vardiashvili’s debut

Forthcoming debut Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili receives outstanding starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly and Kirkus.

“Heartrending, beautifully crafted…Georgian history is simultaneously a tragic tale of constant conquest and an uplifting record of the resilience of community, and both aspects are expertly woven throughout as many characters talk of their harrowing experiences while emanating a kindness and warmth…Laced with humor and insights similar to those of Gary Shteyngart and Jonathan Safran Foer, this is a sweeping, ambitious, and almost unbelievably assured debut. Exploring the long shadow of trauma cast by any war, Vardiashvili's novel pummels the reader with an emotional force that few can match.” – Booklist, Starred

“In Vardiashvili’s spectacular debut, a refugee family reckons with their past… The tense plot ups the ante from one narrow escape to the next, and Vardiashvili layers his seamless blend of genres (police thriller, fairy tale quest, coming-of-age story) with lush depictions of Georgia’s landscape, culture, and resilient people. This will leave readers breathless.” – Publishers Weekly, Starred

“Kafkaesque…Vardiashvilii…has infused his ambitious first novel with the traumatic energy of the refugee experience…An unforgettable aria to a lost homeland, full of anger, sorrow, and longing.” – Kirkus, Starred