My Armenian Friend – Andreï Makine (trans. Geoffrey Strachan)

In 1970s Siberia, in a town on the outskirts of a prison camp, a young Russian boy befriends his classmate Vardan. After meeting Vardan's Armenian family – who have made the 4,000-mile journey from Armenia to join imprisoned family members in this bleak place – the Russian boy falls under their spell. In his eyes, their home is a kingdom transported from afar, which is adorned, aromatic and beautiful despite how little the family possesses. Their neighbourhood is in a place of exile but also of community, made up of former prisoners, exhausted adventurers and others who have been uprooted from their homes. As he grows closer to Vardan, the Russian boy learns to recognise a people forced indefinitely to live on the margins, but who, despite persecution, hold on to their culture and cherish the memories they have of their homeland and its history. Even in a brutally inhospitable Siberia, they recreate a transformative “kingdom of Armenia”.

Per our annual tradition, we will celebrate the end of the year by dressing up as favourite book characters, writers or imaginary/film characters and sharing in the group about who we are on that day! This is optional, don't feel pressured to participate.