March 2020 hit us all badly. That microscopic thing crushed all our plans for the that summer and some more. We got stuck in our apartments, bungalows and buildings for indefinite time. Everybody’s life was limited to a specific area and our experiences were almost similar. Calling to friends, drinking weird coffees, cooking all sort of things which internet showed, getting yourself a new haircut, moving from balcony to living room, pacing to and from in the loby and what not.

And this is exactly why this book is so relatable. We all have shared the same routine during those times. Yet we couldn’t document it nicely so that others can read and relate to it. Nino Gugunishvili had done that job for us. So when humans from future looked for the past pandemics, they will have some documentation for this time.

What to expect from this?

Not all would like to go back and revisit the memories of pandemic. And yet some will find it helpful to know that they are not alone in this. This book gives a sharp sarcastic touch to our common life which was forced on us. Nino has put a humorous spin while talking about her life which she spent in her apartment in Tbilisi during the lock-down of 2020. These are the thoughts in your mind when you spend most of your time in the balcony trying to connect with streets below, empty car-park of adjacent commercial estate or a lone dog-walker in the park, or someone standing in the opposite balcony.

One paragraph from this personal account of events stayed with me.

“Will we be different when the Coronavirus outbreak passes? Are we going to change our habits or goals and ambitions when it’s over? Or are we going to stay just as we are? What are we going to gain from all this experience? Something? Anything? Are we going to hate Mondays again collectively?”

From my balcony to yours – Nino Gugunishvili

From the blurb

Canceled Plans? –Check!
Panic and Fear? – Check!
Self- Isolation? – Check!
Missing Friends? – Check!
Gaining Weight? – Check!
Binge-Watching TV? – Check!
Lengthy Self- diggings? – Check!
Hope? – Check, check, check!
Who would have thought that Global Pandemic, Self-Isolation, Cluster, and a Lockdown were to become the trendiest words in 2020? Who would have imagined the world would freeze and people would stay home shattered with fear, panic, uncertainty towards their future?
How do we adjust to this changing reality, when none of our questions have answers when plans turn upside down, things get totally out of control?
In her new book: “From My Balcony to Yours,” author Nino Gugunishvili shares her personal account during the first several months of the COVID -19 global pandemic in the form of short stories and observations.

Nino Gugunishvili’s writing biography includes a collection of short stories “ You Will Have a Black Labrador” and a women’s fiction novel “ Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock.”

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023. For more about my views on books, click here.