Marta v roce vetřelce (2026)

Marta’s parents think she is clever and could make something of herself, especially if she studies and does not waste her time. Her younger sister thinks she is an arrogant idiot, her older brother thinks she still behaves like a child, and Robert, her colleague, thinks she is not bad. Her grandmother no longer recognizes her. But this Czech-language novel is not about how other people see Marta; it is her diary. Nineteen-year-old Marta Žáková has successfully graduated from secondary school, been accepted to university and fallen in love during her summer job. Everything seems fine, exactly as Marta imagines it. An unexpected turn of events, however, turns her life upside down, and the promising student suddenly becomes “the biggest loser in the world.” The story’s pace is heightened by the author’s distinctive language, which reflects the thoughts and speech of a young woman. The author has moved far enough beyond adolescence to write about it with perspective, while retaining the ability to capture the experiences of a nineteen-year-old girl sensitively and convincingly.