Toulky s tátou – Wollner Marek (2026)

This Czech-language fictional novel, with strong autobiographical elements, follows an adult son and his ageing father on a journey to America. They travel in pursuit of an old dream, an imagined ideal of freedom and places known from the beloved books that shaped them both. The trip is not merely an excursion but an expedition into once-unreachable distances, whose true purpose becomes a search for a way back to each other, a return to family memory and an encounter with questions long left unspoken. Episodes from the journey unfold like photographs in an old album, revealing old grievances and inherited traumas while gradually and unobtrusively leading towards understanding and closeness. The novel explores the joys and burdens of changing relationships between parents and children at different stages of life, as well as ageing, the fragility of personal happiness and an individual’s responsibility towards those closest to them. The narrator connects the personal and family story with literary references, historical insight and a gentle reflection on the contemporary world. Rich in layers, figurative language, quiet irony and occasional tasteful sarcasm, this is a book about memory, travel and late reconciliation with others and with oneself.