Dny naeho ivota Franko Mikita (2025)

This novel, with contents in Czech, follows Miky, an ordinary boy growing up in a provincial town in present-day Russia who has a secret: a family he must not show to anyone. His mother dies of cancer when he is four, and his upbringing is taken over by her younger brother Slava, a young artist who lives with his partner Lev, a serious and strict doctor. Their relationship is taboo under Russias current political circumstances, so the two guardians must hide details of their family from the public to avoid attracting the attention of the social services. As Miky grows up, he struggles with first love, the search for his purpose and identity, conflicts at school and disagreements with both of his fathers. The book offers a vivid, realistic picture of what a child may experience when growing up in a loving and caring family while also recognising the hostile atmosphere of an outside world and society that rejects his family model.