The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin
Published by Candlewick Press on October 5, 2021
ISBN: 153621552X
Pages: 208
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

Eugene (Yevgeny) Yelchin remembers growing up in Cold War Russia in this fascinating, laugh- out-loud funny, and heartbreaking memoir. Young Eugene and his family live in a communalka, a small apartment that shares a kitchen, bathroom and KGB spy (every communalka had one, according to Yelchin) with other families. His Grandmother lives with them but his Grandfather is gone and not spoken of; his face has been cut out of all family photos. Eugene is desperate to find his talent, something that will help him to leave Russia, and though he draws all night under his Grandmother’s table, where he sleeps, the family doesn’t know it and thinks of him as a lost cause. His mother works for a ballet company and is obsessed with Mikhail Baryshnikov and so poor Eugene tries ballet despite his passion for art.

This is a terrific book. Its deadpan delivery made me burst out laughing several times and lulled me into thinking this would be a funny, if a little unnerving, recounting of his rise to success in art and his eventual move to the USA. It’s not though. Instead, it’s devastating. I was unprepared for the last few chapters and realized I’d grown attached to the characters like one does in a much longer novel. I would recommend this to anyone; there is a strength to this family that is inspiring in the chaos of today’s world. It also will resonate with any child who feels that information is being withheld from them; while it won’t help them discover information in their own families, it will help explain why a family might keep secrets from its own members.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath