A novel close to the unusual aplomb of childhood.
Little Željka lives in the county of Međimurje, in war-torn northern Croatia. She’d like to defend her country against the Serbs, but according to the schoolmaster, that’s not for women. And since the doctor says she has a defect in her head, she has to spend long periods in hospital. So she writes poems.
At home it’s complicated. Once, a man broke into their house and tried to slit her father’s throat. War is a bit like forcing everyone to change. It seems that only children keep their promises of friendship.
Between naivety and dark humor, Željka Horvat Čeč looks back on her life as a sickly little girl during the Croatian war (1991-1995). The joys of childhood shine through with delightful insolence.
