#701 East of the West- Miroslav Penkov
A village is bisected by a river. In one of the cruelties of geopolitics it is separated by war. One side is now Bulgarian and the other Serbian. They are allowed only one crossing every five years. Families are torn apart and histories are lost. In the middle of the river is a drowned church, aptly representing lost hope and faith.
Love still grows however, and Nose falls in love with his cousin Vera on the other side. It is a lifelong yearning that can never be fully realized, and ends in unbelievable heartbreak. The kind of heartbreak that occurs when holding onto the last sliver of hope can create.
“You’re holding life by the throat. So get your shit together and learn how to choke the bastard, because the bastard already knows how to choke you.”
Out of darkness and sorrow comes beautiful art. This is a beautifully rendered story about a very dark and sad existence. What do you cling to when hope is lost, when light is gone and when faith is literally washed away? I guess the answer is: anything you can.
Notable Passage: “The words piled on my heart like stones and I thought how much I wanted to be like the river, which had no memory, and how little like the earth, which could never forget.”
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