Blanc contre Noir is a family and historical fresco spanning almost two centuries of Lithuanian history.
It all begins when the protagonist discovers an unexpected inheritance, prompting her to embark on a journey across Europe to trace her roots. However, her quest is hampered by the dementia of her mother, the sole repository of her family’s secrets. Through fragmented memories, the family past becomes the common thread of an epic tale that plunges into the turmoil of Lithuania, exploring themes such as war, the post-Soviet era, contemporary commercialism and the banditry of the 1990s.
Built on contrasts—memory and oblivion, speech and silence, tragedy and bursts of humor—Blanc contre Noir is a masterful novel that questions the legacy of a past that has not been handed down to us.
