Mlen pichz jako prvn (2026)

Silence can often hurt more than words or a slap. This novel by Romanian writer Ioana Maria Stncescu follows three women from different generations whose lives are marked by unspoken grievances and an inability to communicate openly. The narrator, Dora, is caught between a manipulative mother, a teenage daughter longing for acceptance and independence, and her own insecurity. In a family where the men leave, and where loneliness, alienation and unfulfilled relationships pass from one generation to the next, Dora has learned to dream rather than act. When she begins an online relationship with a man named Toma, she is given an opportunity to change her life. Before she can move forward, however, she must confront the past and break through the silence. This intimate and sensitively written story explores family trauma, fear, love and the search for ones own voice.