The Genius Under the Table,: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2021. $22.99 ages 10 and up

 

"The light clicked off, but it was not 
the time for me to sleep yet. I waited 
until my family settled into their dreams, 
then I snuck a stubby pencil from under 
my pillow. I stole that pencil from Dad 
every night to draw on the underside of 
the table. The pine boards above me were
covered with my drawings like a ceiling of 
a prehistoric cave. The table was big. My 
drawings were small."

Eugene Yelchin's memoir is tender and often humorous. In the late 1950s and early 60s he lived with his parents, brother, and grandmother in one tiny room in an apartment that was shared by numerous others in Moscow. As you can imagine, there was llittle privacy for anyone living communally as his family did. Every night at bedtime, the room needed to be rearranged to give everyone a place to sleep. 

Yevgeny (as he was called then) found his place under the dining table. It afforded him a place to hone his artistic talents; he secretly drew on the underside with a pencil taken from his father. 

"Dad said that if I had artistic talent, 
I could have a private apartment. But
what did I need a private apartment
for if I could sleep under Grandma's 
table?"

Drawing helps the young boy endure the confusion that is his world. Every apartment has a spy who keeps order by threatening residents with reporting them to the KGB. No one talks about Yevgeny's grandfather who is no longer with them. Secrets abound. Only exceptional and talented citizens have certain luxuries. His brother is a talented figure skater, likely to be one of the fortunate few. Yevgeny's parents want what is best for him, too. His mother, a devotee of the ballet, thinks dance will provide security for her dance-challenged son. His dreams lie in artistic pursuits. 

It is only in the fine and telling drawings that accompany this outstanding memoir that readers see what might have been on the underside of that table. Images are poignant and add humor, as does the dialogue between family members. Despite the chaos, Yevgeny's art gives him an escape from his daily life, and hope for better times in the future.              

I wonder what happened next.