Author: Pajtim Statovci
Translator: David Hackston
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Hardback
Staff Pick! Ant says...
Pajtim Statovci returns with BOLLA, the story of Arsim and Miloš, a relationship born in secrecy and torn apart by the horrors of the Kosovo War. In a struggle to rebuild their lives after their separation, the two men commit atrocities both in their family lives and, in bitter self-loathing, to themselves and one another. As in his previous novel 'Crossing', Statovci masterfully conveys the human struggle in balance with a greater myth, in this case the Bolla serpent that breathes destruction into the plot. Statovci brings the reader closer to his characters than any other writer — BOLLA is a tale of great tragedy but is written with such depth that its humanity always prevails. An absolute blinder.