Průsečík – Pehe Jiří (2017)

A seemingly trivial love triangle involving the aging university teacher and designer Tomáš transforms into a game of parallel worlds with a single event. The turning point of Jiří Pehe's latest novel, Intersection, is a car accident that occurs during Tomáš's journey to Munich, where he is headed with his mistress Karla, who suddenly disappears without a trace. At the moment of impact, the fates of the characters split, and seemingly real realities layer one over the other. The glimpse from one 'reality' to another provides the characters with a disturbing dream at certain moments, which can momentarily materialize the sensed alternative reality. All variations of the story are perfectly thought out, precisely constructed, and elaborate; the mysterious and inexplicable disappearance of the mistress is confronted with the pragmatic and sober approach of the main character. Against this backdrop, the fragility of life's certainties and the apparent meaningfulness that we take for granted in our lives stands out. The atmosphere of ambiguity is enhanced by the motif of Sibelius's music, which carries the message that 'love needs more than one time and one space' and that 'we are not enough for God in one form.'