Babcia

Author : Jacek Dehnel
Title :  Lala
Published : 07/06/2018
Pages : 400
Genre : Contemporary Fiction
Publisher : Oneworld Publications

     Lala has lived a dazzling life. Born in Poland just after the First World War and brought up to be a perfect example of her class and generation - tolerant, selfless and brave - Lala is an independent woman who has survived some of the most turbulent events of her times. As she senses the first signs of dementia, she battles to keep her memories alive through her stories, telling her grandson tales of a life filled with love, faithlessness and extraordinary acts of courage.

     I have come to have a great love for polish authors and there works over the last few years. They have a way of holding my attention from the very first page. I think I have been very lucky in only coming across a couple of duds along the way. When Lala came across my field of vision I jumped on the link to find out if it would be another to add to my enjoyment. This is only the second I would class as contemporary fiction as the others have all been in some way or another crime fiction.  

     We get to pay witness to Lala's story as she narrates her life in the form of small story to her grandson. I was amazed in the way in which Dehnel has crafted this fictional character, He mages to lift her off the page and bring her into the real world. She is warm and caring in a way I have seldom seen. This is not say she is a pushover, I would expect nothing less from this woman. Her life has taken her on many adventures as she passed through some of the biggest moments in her country's history. But to me these didn't feel like the main focus of her story, this is a deeply personal trip we go on. Through her story, we also meet a great many of her extended family all with there own parts to play. collective they help in forming the person Lala is by the time we meet her. It is not often that I come across a fictional character I would love to meet in real life. I could see my self-losing an afternoon with a cup of tea listening to her talk. 

     While this is a grand story covering an entire lifetime, it is told with the lightest of touches. His style means you are left feeling you know Lala and her family like your own. It is an odd thing to feel a sense of familiarity in a book you are reading for the first time. This is by no means a fasted paced book, it takes it's time and meanders from place to place, but with each stop, the world of Lala opens up a bit more. It didn't to me feel like other books from Poland I have read, Whereas others feel more sharp and crisp with a sense of humor that can only have come from there country, this is more about emotions and the lives of ordinary people. I don't know if this is down to the translations which manage to convert some of the subtleties across language barriers, or that I have just haven't had the chance to experience other like him from his country, but for me, it really works. I have not been to Poland yet, I will be by the end of this year, but with this book I think it gives you a real sense of not only what this country was like in each of the time periods this story stops in, but it also feels like you get to see how it's people are. And for me reminds me of some of the polish women I have come to know, strong, independent, funny and caring. He feels no need to delve into stereotypes instead we are given a warm but honest story of this woman's life. An added bonus is the family pictures that a scattered throughout this work of fiction. 

     The longer I spent with this book the more I came to be captivated by its charm.  I'm not sure this book will be to everyone's liking, but for those who do it will become a cherished book. it is one that already has a place in my permanent library.