The novel follows the life of Yana, an immigrant in the US, who chooses to overstay her summer work visa and live as an illegal alien, all while deceiving her family in Bulgaria that she is studying. Yana shares her life story with someone she has fallen in love with. The narrative spans several generations, focusing on three women – Yana’s grandmother, mother, and herself – all of whom are victims of domestic abuse.
Yana’s grandmother, Eva, marries Ignat, a man who becomes increasingly jealous and violent over time. Eva’s daughter, Lilly, witnesses her mother’s suffering and leaves home at a young age to escape the abuse. Lilly, while studying medicine, marries Dimitar, a man from a wealthier family who struggles with alcoholism and abusive behavior. Despite her reservations, Eva keeps silent, hoping for the family to come together with the arrival of a child.
Yana’s own life begins during Bulgaria’s tumultuous transition period in the 1990s, marked by economic hardships and political turmoil. Growing up in poverty and a troubled family, she experiences violence from both her grandfather and the aftermath of her parents’ divorce. Yana escapes to Sofia at the age of 14, living with her mother, who later moves to Germany for work. Yana and Lilly reunite when Eva suffers a stroke, and they both return from abroad to be with her. Eva’s death prompts Yana to confront her past before returning to the US.
The novel delves into the guilt experienced by victims of abuse, characterized by feelings of inadequacy, reluctance to burden others with their suffering, self-blame for provoking violence, and an inability to protect their loved ones.
The story unfolds in a back-and-forth narrative between Bulgaria in the 1990s, marked by the transition period’s austerity and societal breakdown, and the US and Bulgaria around 2015, just before Donald Trump’s presidency. Yana describes herself as being born after “The End of History,” highlighting the transition from one uncertain future to another. The novel addresses heavy themes such as domestic abuse, disillusionment, immigration, poverty, overconsumption, and societal polarization without being didactic.
The writing is highly engaging, with a dynamic narrative that shifts between first and third-person perspectives from various characters. Yana’s present-day experiences in the US are presented in the first person, offering intimate insights into her conversations with her partner and friends. The accounts of abuse are mainly narrated in the third person, providing a sense of dissociation and resignation experienced by the three women due to the violence they endure. The story is enriched with natural, flowing dialogue, enhancing its readability. The language is precise, sharp, and poetic, avoiding sentimentality even in the most disturbing scenes. The author writes with empathy, recognizing the complexities of right and wrong and raising thought-provoking questions without passing judgment.