Welcome to Litsy!

“I guessed that Laura was one of those people who preferred the music of a lie to the discordance of truth.” When a British family buys an abandoned house in the Croatian countryside in 2007, secrets long suppressed are drawn into the light. The taut prose, vivid characters & superb pacing make a gripping read in this story about the repercussions of civil war.

…a waft of his odour, which no amount of cologne will disguise: sweat & cooked meats. Fabjan‘s fingers are swollen & red. A wedding ring cuts into the flesh of his third finger, like a corset on an obese woman. His lips are virgin pink & shine with saliva. A family of hairs peeps from his nostrils & ears, while a crowd of hairs seems to strain upwards out of his open collar, as if they‘re trying to catch a glimpse of their upstairs cousins.

Fabjan had hired a new girl for the summer, who smiled at all the customers, which here is as disconcerting as if she walked through the streets singing.

(Internet photo)

Better mind your own business, chief, says my father (in those days he always called me chief). He gave me a shove. Don‘t forget, chief, never ask a question you don‘t have to, that way you‘ll live a lot longer.

I liked this book better than The Memory of Love but not as much as Happiness. At times I felt it was slow going, yet it somehow made me a bit anxious wanting to know how it turns out. In the end, we don't know how it turns out, only that life goes on and it can never be as it was before. Perhaps a poignant reminder during this time of a pandemic?

Aminatta Forms was raised in Sierra Leone. The tagged book takes place in Croatia after the war.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Generational epic. She was born in Ghana, but raised in US.

I have many names on my tbr list. Imbolo Mbue, Helen Oyeyemi, etc.

@ChasingOm @Emilymdxn

This is an exceptional book that examines the psychology of war and of memory and forgetting. It is beautiful, while also keeping you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend!

I was 16 when Serbia was involved in a civil war so I don't remember much about it. I remember the mass graves and genocide from the news. After reading this book, I still don't know what cultures were involved. Duro's past and his feud with neighbors is intriguing. I'm sort of ashamed that I don't know this history of former Yugoslavia. I remember reading Zlata's Diary. Can anyone recommend others from this time period - fiction or nonfiction?

Set in the former Yugoslavia, this book explores the feelings still simmering there.

possibly getting carried away with the#setineasterneurope : great book about what happens when you go to a country where you *really* don't get the context... (post conflict Croatia)