This was definitely not what I was expecting. An overbearing grandmother who makes it her life mission to smother her orphan grandson under the pretence he is dying and won't make it in life without her. A dominant figure within the family. Told through the eyes of Max the relationships within this dysfunctional family unfold. The narration seen through the innocent eyes of child make some commentary almost comedic, and yet at the same time reading about how controlling the grandmother was, was enough to make you feel claustrophobic. A highly manipulative woman who seems all too unaware when Grandfather's eyes stray elsewhere.

Bronsky captures the immigrant experience in such a truthful yet disconcerting way. Her narrator is so intriguing, the story so unique that it makes for a fast, rich read. Superb translation.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book will make you cry and figure out what would happen. It is set in Germany mentioning Russia. This book is in stores for $17.00 (USD). This book is translated into English from Russian.

I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

In silent protest against this prophecy, I subsequently fell in love with a woman I’d never seen. I saw her name on a poster and just liked the look of it. Rosa Silberstein.

I have to admit I was biased going in, I love anything Alina Bronsky writes, and once again she didn't disappoint. I think humour is the hardest thing to write and while Alina's is definitely black humour I laughed out loud more than once. In my (humble) opinion her real skill though is the slow reveal. In this case peeling back the layers of the over the top crazy Baba leads from humour to empathy.

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: A immigrant story with both tender and comical undertones.


BRIEF REVIEW: The larger than life "grandmother" in this story is a former Russian Ballerina who has immigrated to Germany from Russia with her husband and grandson, Maxim (Maxi) in search of a better life. They live in a nine story building for refugees known as The Sunshine Inn.

Almost immediately it becomes obvious that Grandmother rules the roost. She leads poor Maxi, who has just turned 7 as the story begins, to believe he frail, requires bland food, and is too weak and "mentally deficient" to attend school. None of these things are true, he's a bright, observant child and very loyal to grandmother. Grandfather, takes a backseat in this novel, but we do know a few things about him: he has "Asian genes" and a wandering eye when it comes to women. When Grandmother befriends some other refugees in the building, namely, Nina, a single woman and her daughter, Vera who is a bit older than Maxi, things go from bad to worse.

Translated from German, the story flowed very well. I can't ever recall being disappointed by a Europa Edition and, I've read plenty of them over the years. Bronsky's writing is a style is wonderful: human, tender and comical. This one had a perfect blend of laugh out loud moments with an equal blend of seriousness as well. Told from the perspective of young Maxi, we quickly learn there are two sides to grandmother and for good reason. Referred to as only grandmother or (Oma) throughout this short novel, it is only as we read the very last word of the book that we learn her name was Margo but, she was a character that I'll not easily forget.

(NOTE: If you think you might like to read this short novel, please don't read the lengthy publisher description, it gives away too much of the story IMO.)

RATING: 4.5/5

MEMORABLE QUOTES: (that made me smile)

"The strawberry ice cream that I'd unexpectedly survived taught me two things: Grandmother was wrong more often than I'd suspected, and happiness was easier to find than I'd thought. The colorful world of forbidden foods, suddenly opened up to me."

"I met a delightful woman. Her name is Nina and she teaches piano. Lives here with her daughter. The girl's Maxi's age, but normal. No husband, lucky her, bringing up her illegitimate daughter all alone...."

(Although Grandmother wasn't Jewish she attended services on a regular basis)

"Behind her show of confidence I sensed deep fear of being exposed as an imposter and being sent back to the collapsing Soviet Union.

While the shabbiness of the refugee home disappointed Grandmother, the shiny, new synagogue elicited a respectful word or two. She wholeheartedly welcomed the fact that women sat separately from men during services. 'I'm happy not to have to see their grouchy mugs for a while.' She sought out the neighbors she knew from the refugee home and ensnared them in long conversations at the cold buffet before she inconspicuously--she thought--swiped this or that food item."

Just finished my third novel by Alina Bronsky, a five star read for me.
Her novels might be an acquired taste, perhaps not for everyone. Women are strong protagonists who do not shy away from expressing themselves, often without censor but always hiding a generous heart.
We meet grandmother, a refugee from Russia accompanied by her husband "Tschingis" referred as grandfather and, "Maxi" their grandson.
Soon life takes many turns more or less successfully until we meet "Nina" and, "Vera", her daughter.
Such begins life for our Russian emigrants.

Wow. This short book is full of evolved, complex characters. A few of them I could not stand and then I grew to love. And then a few of them I loved and grew to hate. What a fun read to evoke so many emotions in just 176 pages!

One reviewer in Germany (where the book originally launched) called it a “tragicomedy.” Yes, it is dark. And, yes, it is hilarious. And it’s touching.

It’s just so well done. It’s super quirky and a bit jolty (is that a thing)? But it’s fast-paced (which I love) and easily readable in a day. And you’ll likely want to finish it -- just because it's so bonkers and entertaining.

All I need to say (without giving too much away) is poor, sweet Maxi. What a dysfunctional life he lived being raised by the world’s biggest hypochondriac. Considered untouchable at school, Max was sheltered and coddled and verbally abused at home by his grandmother. “She impressed upon me that I was not only physically weak and mentally deficient but also that I had a cursed appearance that made people want to beat me up.”

Yet Max was so wise beyond his years. He was also loyal and loving. One of my favorite lines of his was when he met his beautiful neighbor for the first time. “Nina looked as if she’d been drawn by a soft pencil.” Then he later described her as having “eyes the color of German milk chocolate,” and for this reason alone he would never to lie to her. Ugh. It was so well written.

I recommend this to lovers of literary fiction. It reminded me of the work of Jenny Offill.

Special thanks to Europa Editions for an advanced digital copy of the book, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an odd book, and yet it held my interest. A young boy, Max, leaves Russia with his grandparents and now lives in an apartment for refugees in Germany. His dramatic, overprotective, germaphobe of a grandmother has constantly reminded him that he is frail, mentally deficient, and lucky to be alive. She is a huge character, and the story shows how Max's feelings towards her evolve as he grows older and realizes that he has been misled his entire life. His growth and development as a character become more apparent with the family drama involving his grandfather and a neighbor. His grandmother never stops being a huge presence, but instead of having complete and total control over Max, her influence shifts and their relationship does as well. At times, the story is loving and tender; in other moments, it is infuriating. I would have liked to know more about the family. There are hints about Max's mother, but never any real information. Likewise, Max's father makes an appearance but it is barely that. Those loose pieces aside, the book kept me engaged.

So well written I was drawn in from the first pages.A book that had characters that come alive and a storyline that surprised me.Highly recommend this book by this wonderful author.#netgalley #europabooks,