Made of Guilt

The story centers around the fates of three generations of women from one family: Eva, her daughter Lily, and her granddaughter Yana, from whose perspective the narrative is told. They were all born and raised in Bulgaria. But despite the age differences, they are united by a sharp sense of guilt that they carry throughout their lives. The fear of not meeting the expectations placed upon them sometimes makes the heroines forget about themselves and choose in favor of others. Each of the three women has her own thorny path, which unfolds against the backdrop of challenging historical circumstances (totalitarian dictatorship, democratization, and immigration to the West).
This novel seems to burst into the room, explode the silence, grab by the throat, and begin a painful yet trusting conversation. A conversation that should have taken place a long time ago — about departure and return, the difficult embodiment of the American dream, and the sense of guilt in a Bulgarian way. A bold, talented, inventive, and sincere novel, one of the strongest debut works in recent years. Not to be missed.