Konec sezóny na koupališti Úštěk – Bendová Veronika (2024)

In the lead role, extras or Twelve stories about second-tier heroes She is alone with a child and then they spend "Byzantine" Christmas together for one night. He sits in the car on a heated seat and feels like Job on a pile of ashes. The passion in the lounge at Šoupal's turns into a flurry of little figures. A conversation about "loves that lasted" ends with a report from the battlefields of the bed. The car breaks down, life spirals out of control, and one desperately searches for a place to rest. It has long been dark, and at the entrance of Parkhotel Nebesa, there is a sign that says "Closed." The prose writer, who has gained well-deserved attention from critics and readers with her previous books, presents an extraordinary collection of stories. It captivates not only with its readable and believable character portrayals but also with its precise style. The attentive reader will notice that the individual stories subtly connect with each other through small recurring motifs. Thus, the unifying element of the work is not only cyclical time, refined connections, but also characters that we have glimpsed only briefly or not at all on the pages. That occasional feeling may be universal. Are we the main heroes in our lives, or just extras? The season ends (it doesn't matter which) and the doors (it doesn't matter which) slowly close. So is this all? But suddenly, without warning, it hits us…