The Barrack

Shadows Beyond the Window

Alžběta Bublanová's psychological novel, 'The Block', offers a unique insight into the mind of an ageing woman. What happens when our life's routine is disrupted by unexpected personal events? Are we able to influence our own destiny, or must we simply fulfil the role that those around us expect of us?

How well do we know the people closest to us? We meet them every day, live with them under one roof, and think we know everything about them. 'The Block' is narrated by an ageing widow who observes her neighbours, who, unlike her, are living their lives. She seems like a phantom, shuffling from her flat to the shop and back, sitting by the open window of her tenement building. Her monotonous routine is disturbed by an event that affects her directly, and she undergoes a transformation, rediscovering the woman within. Fate also intervenes in the lives of her alcoholic daughter and one of the other tenants.

How well can we truly know or understand others?