The Walnut Mansion
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- $21.99
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
This grand novel encompasses nearly all of Yugoslavia’s tumultuous twentieth century, from the decline of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires through two world wars, the rise and fall of communism, the breakup of the nation, and the terror of the shelling of Dubrovnik. Tackling universal themes on a human scale, master storyteller Miljenko Jergovic traces one Yugoslavian family’s tale as history irresistibly casts the fates of five generations.
What is it to live a life whose circumstances are driven by history? Jergovic investigates the experiences of a compelling heroine, Regina Delavale, and her many family members and neighbors. Telling Regina’s story in reverse chronology, the author proceeds from her final days in 2002 to her birth in 1905, encountering along the way such traumas as atrocities committed by Nazi Ustashe Croats and the death of Tito. Lyrically written and unhesitatingly told, The Walnut Mansion may be read as an allegory of the tragedy of Yugoslavia’s tormented twentieth century.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jergovic's (Sarajevo Marlboro) latest is an inventive novel that tells the story of Yugoslavia through one family's history. In 15 chapters, Jergovic travels backwards through the 20th century, beginning in 2002 with the mental breakdown and death of Regina, 97-year-old matriarch of the Delavale family. The following chapters present various scenes from her family, such as the early onset of puberty in her granddaughter, giving her one awkwardly large breast at the age of 10. Other scenes are more tragic, including the accidental death of her daughter's boyfriend, the same day as Josip Broz Tito's death. Within these tales of an ordinary family, the reader gets glimpses into the dramatic life of the former Yugoslavia, from the brutal "ethnic cleansing" of the '90s to the resistance against the invading Nazis during World War II and the uncertainty facing the country in the days leading up to the First World War. The reader witnesses the country change from a territory of the Ottoman Empire to its own independent nation, then break apart into separate ethnic regions fighting over boundaries. The introduction provides a useful history of Yugoslavia and the author, helpful for those unfamiliar with either. Highly readable and well-constructed, Jergovic's voice is a exciting discovery.
