As a young child, Natalia regularly visits the tigers at the zoo with her Grandfather. This is a beautifully detailed opening scene. Years later, she is volunteering with United Clinics to provide vaccines to children in war torn Brejevina when she gets word from her Grandmother (Bako) that her Grandfather was traveling to see her (Natalia) and was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Interspersed with Natalia and her friend Zora's work in the community, there are vignettes on her Grandfather's unusual upbringing in a rural village, folklore, and anecdotes of his life. Natalia and her Grandfather have the added connection of both being doctors.
Obreht is a wonderful writer. I enjoyed the stories featuring "the deathless man" and any discussion of her Grandfather's odd, out of the way village. I loved Barba Ivan's little Pointer dog Bis, and the obvious affection the family had for him due to the number of watercolor portraits featuring him in their house, as well as the monastery. A lot of the other animal content is rough stuff, but luckily Bis isn't one of those! There is a great scene where children are receiving shots in a subdued fashion, and Natalia is bothered because the kids don't seem to be affected like children who have not been in war torn areas. Her relief when she is kicked in the shin restores balance and is a powerful image to the reader.
I appreciated all the stories about her Grandfather....from the lighthearted ramblings to his dog "You're a dog, where are you?", to the more serious discussion concerning what specialty of medicine Natalia should pursue (pg 152 in my edition). I stopped after reading that page and read it two more times, even reading it aloud to my husband. Those were (by far) the two paragraphs in the novel that were the most powerful and honest feeling- conveying a sentiment that can be so very hard to describe. I felt like I knew this intelligent, nuanced man from Natalia's remembrances.
I did have some struggles. I know embarrassingly little of the Balkans conflicts and the Yugoslav Wars. I Wikipedia'd and found myself fascinated with the repeated uprisings and rich history of this area. I think I would have a deeper appreciation for the story if I understood more, because I still feel quite uninformed...which then translated to the reading experience and made me feel slightly disconnected.
Since there were a lot of anecdotes, the book felt a lot like a short story collection in ways...and I struggle with those. I didn't care about certain surrounding characters to the Grandfather (even though I realize this was included to give context on the people in his life), I just wanted more of Natalia and his relationship. The ending was fitting and expected for this type of book, but still left me feeling a little unsatisfied. There's also a small disconnect for me in this book besides the historical situation, and I honestly can't put my finger on it- even though I have stewed on it a few days before typing this review. I recommend this to literary fiction lovers who enjoy fables and family stories filled with reflection on relationships.
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