In the fine tradition of European storytelling from a bygone age, The Eighth Life is a sprawling family saga, to be savoured for its grandeur, scope and scale – and certain to gain both critical and popular acclaim.

Spanning a century of social, political and economic transformation that includes revolution, civil war, global conflict and the eventual dismantling of the Soviet Union, it is the story of the fluctuating fortunes of six generations of a proud Georgian family.

Translated from German by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin, Nino Haratischvili’s dense, detailed prose has an almost conversational fluidity that lends a deceptive – and disarming – simplicity to its complex plot, condemning the reader to long hours absorbed in the vicissitudes of its characters.

Written in seven parts, The Eighth Life is narrated from a period early in the 21st century by Berlin-based professor Niza, for her 12-year-old niece Brilka, who has run away from her dance troupe, to ‘obtain the rights to her great-great-aunt’s songs’.

Beginning with the enigmatic ‘Stasia’, Niza looks back on the lives of the women who have made their mark within the family. Interwoven with love, loss, triumph and tragedy are the uncanny impacts of a family recipe for divine hot chocolate, which just might carry a curse.

At 934 pages, The Eighth Life makes for enthralling and satisfying summer reading.

Reviewed by Maureen Eppen