Sto let slepote by Roman Rozina (Mladinska knjiga)
Forget the marketing blurb about "monumental frescoes." This is a book about holes. Specifically, the holes we dig in the ground for coal and the holes we leave in each other. Rozina’s Sto let slepote tracks the Knap family through a hundred years of Slovenian history, centered in the mining valleys where the air tastes like dust and the houses are literally tilting into the abyss. It is a slow burn that demands you pay attention to the dirt. The pacing is deliberate. At times, it is sluggish. Rozina likes to pause for a lecture on the nature of existence, which breaks the tension just when things get interesting. If you want a fast-paced thriller, look elsewhere. But if you want to understand the psyche of a people who find hope in a dark tunnel, this hits the mark. Matija is the anchor. Born blind as the family home begins to sink, he becomes the witness to a century of industrial rise and decay. He doesn't need eyes to see the greed or the resilience of his kin. The ch...
