Literary fiction
An intimate tale that ends where the darkness begins, in which the writer of the successful novels Dědina / The Village and Chirurg / The Surgeon is on excellent form.
That twelve-year-old Bára is on the brink of adolescence is apparent from her artistic gift and her unrestrained nature, which sometimes runs out of control. With the onset of puberty, the conflict between Bára’s spontaneity and her mother’s desire for a life free of complication intensifies dramatically, not least when Bára is compared with her slightly older, more submissive sister. As Bára gives her natural behaviour ever freer rein, those around her become ever fiercer in their attempts to control her incomprehensible, outside-of-the-box needs. Her gift is noticed by a young art teacher nicknamed Frodo, who offers sensitive support for her struggle with the demands of her family, but whose apparent decency cloaks some very dark places. In the trench warfare of misunderstanding, Bára sustains one loss after another. Her only allies are the crows nesting in the park, below her window. In these crows Bára recognizes an instinct which informs the lives of animals and humans alike, and she feels ever closer to their world. Will anyone offer her help she can use? Is there any other way out of this?
Information about the original Czech edition
Other selected published translations (1)
Wrony Polish