“Hard on the Edge of a Great Forest” is a novel about returning home decades after fleeing war

The story of Saba, the protagonist of Leo Vardiashvili's novel On the Edge of a Great Forest, is very similar to that of the author. A young boy flees the Soviet Republic of Georgia with his father and brother as the country is ravaged by war. Decades later, when her father returns to his homeland and promptly disappears, Saba must confront her family's past – and immense loss – to try to find him. In today's episode, Vardiashvili tells NPR's Scott Simon about being separated from his own family and the time-traveling feeling he felt when he finally returned to Georgia.

To listen to Book of the Day without a sponsor and support NPR's literary coverage, subscribe to Book of the Day at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

Learn more about Sponsor Message Choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices)

NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

Please take the opportunity to connect and share this video with your friends and family if you find it useful.