Kristian Novak Books

An amnesiac writer’s life of lies and false memories reaches a breaking point in this stunning English-language debut from an award-winning Croatian author. As a novelist, Matija makes things up for a living. Not yet thirty, he’s written two well-received books. It’s his third that is as big a failure as his private life. Unable to confine his fabrications to fiction, he’s been abandoned by his girlfriend over his lies. But all Matija has is invention. Especially when it comes to his childhood and the death of his father. Whatever happened to Matija as a young boy, he can’t remember. He feels frightened, angry, and responsible… Now, after years of burying and reinventing his past, Matija must confront it. Longing for connection, he might even win back the love of his life. But discovering the profound fears he has suppressed has its risks. Finally seeing the real world he emerged from could upend it all over again.

"Ciganin, ali najljepši" Kristiana Novaka jest strogo žanrovski gledano krimić, s enigmom, brutalnim ubojstvima nepoznatih – jer leševe bez lica teško je identificirati – i istragom, i lijep pokazatelj da se stvari ne smiju strogo gledati, ni suditi, jer je krimić koliko i "Zločin i kazna". Ciganina je ispripovijedalo, preciznije kazalo jer uglavnom čitamo krnje transkripte, čak četvero pripovjedača: Milena, sredovječna povratnica u rodni Sabolščak, Nuzat, Kurd iz Mosula na putu za Calais, Sandokan zvan Sandi, Ciganin iz Bukova Dola, i Plančić, PR iz Policijske uprave zagrebačke. Roman ide široko, tijek nekoliko života ukrstit će između tokova Drave i Mure, u Međimurju, a čime se sve bavi vremenom će popisivati literatura koja će daleko nadići njegov poveći opseg. Spomenimo sada samo da donosi dvije biografije "od kolijevke pa do groba", da zahvaća i rekonstruira barem tri kulturološka kruga, da daje poput plastičnog eksploziva snažne psihoportrete svojih četiriju kazivača i masu masovne psihologije koja raste i prijeti da će se preliti u nasilje. Ovo je knjiga u kojoj ćete naći al-Anfal, Daesh (ISIL) i izbjeglički val, zabranjenu ljubav Hrvatice i Roma, veterana Domovinskog rata koji brine za mir u selu, policajca na zalazu karijere u shizo-epizodama, orgiju s Moldavkama u vikendici, teoriju i praksu krađe i tučnjave, pauka koji je ispleo svoju mrežu, internetsko bjesnilo, raskoš jezika, misli i emocije. Kruno Lokotar