Viadukt – Vovsová Anna (2026)

This Czech-language novel by screenwriter Anna Vovsová is a carefully constructed and compelling story narrated by Hana, a photographer who has decided that she no longer wants to live. After her husband’s humiliating affairs and continual departures, life has lost its meaning for her: she has no children, influenced by unsettled youth, and her relationship with her sister is seriously strained. Everything has already happened; she has photographed, developed and stored it all, and now it is time to settle accounts. She decides to jump from a viaduct, but the attempt fails. Her suicide attempt is prevented by another tragedy, the result of a chance meeting between Hana’s husband and an unknown young foreigner, probably a Syrian refugee, with whom her niece has become close. The private histories of these wandering characters unfold against the background of world events. The novel therefore explores not only the conflict between two generations of women and life beside the wrong man, but also the weight of exile, an experience the author herself underwent in France, and the refugee crisis arising from present-day wars. Written in refined language, the story interweaves memories of the past with the present and uses cinematic techniques to leave readers wondering where the characters’ paths will lead next.