The Free World

The debut from one of the New Yorker's 20 Writers Under 40 is a sparkling tale of immigration. Three generations of Krasnanskys escape Communism, with mixed feelings about escape and Communism and each other. Bound for America and a loosely-connected sponsor, they face disappointment in the holding bays of Rome, prone to arguments, breakdowns and frustrations as their visa applications are processed.

Between the memories and sadness at leaving his Soviet homeland of Samuil and the gleeful womanising and carefree attitude of his son Alec, and all the crazy family members in between, we're treated to a warm if unusual take on displacement and yearning to find home in the face of adversity. Rome is given a new setting too, away from the touristy, romantic, wistful piazzas and suffocating in the hot, damp, dark and seedy backstreets.

Unusual settings, icy tensions barely spilling over and generously drawn characters make for a yearning tale of trying to find home from an impressively sharp writer.