Silent Years is the new novel from one of the most popular Czech authors. How much do we really know about those closest to us?
Bohdana is a withdrawn girl living with only her grumpy father and the good-hearted but submissive Běla. She is troubled by the tension in the house and a mystery that won't leave her mind: why did her terminally ill grandmother call her “Blanka” during her last visit to the sanatorium?
Alongside this, the story of Svatopluk Žák unfolds. He is a devoted communist who has dedicated his entire life to building socialism, to his love for his wife and daughter, whose future was meant to be as bright as the star on the red flag. But as the saying goes: If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans. And so, in a single moment, the two stories merge into one, and it turns out that nothing is as it seemed, and certainly not as it should be.
Alena Mornštajnová's new novel, Silent Years, is different from her previous ones. It doesn't tackle a grand historical theme but is an intimate family drama where the leading role is played not by major historical events, but by chance and human character. However, just like her novel Hana, it is a powerful, compellingly told story that will captivate the reader from the first page to the last.
