Neviditelný muž

(The Invisible Man)

“The Invisible Man is a novel about generational trauma — and yet it is nothing fashionable, because the trauma is worn, it is “just” an ordinary narrative about the connection of four generations of women. But so close and universal!”

— Kosmas

About the Book
Original TitleNeviditelný muž
First Published2024
PublisherHost, Brno
Pages176
Rights Sold
ItalyMiraggi  Turin
Finland Kairaamo – Helsinki
DenmarkJensen & Dalgaard
United KingdomParthian – Cardigan

A crime may be atoned for, but a wrong remains.

The Invisible man is a family tragedy seen through the eyes of the main character Emilia, a young thirty-something. The story is set in a fictional region with unmistakable elements of Eastern Europe, the Balkans, etc. (inspired by the historical region of Thrace), while the country is at war. When grandmother Adina dies, Emilia returns to the village of Serafina after many years to arrange Adina’s funeral. Her stay there leads us to discover bit by bit the history of her family. Her father Aslan (with an unusually dark skin – the title of the book is derived from a kind of trick whereby he is indistinguishable in the dark from a certain distance) belongs to the Muslim minority of the Amals who, however, in the past suppressed the very local Christian population, specifically leading to a pogrom in Serafina. Aslan is viewed with distrust because of his origins. People see in him a traitor and when one evening a bunch of savage villagers invade grandma’s house, they take Aslan away and it culminates in a lynching as Aslan is hanged in the local clock tower. This tragedy and betrayal has torn the family apart. At the end of the book, it is revealed that the story of Emilia and her family is for her unborn daughter.

Although the place of action is undefined, with the ongoing war, a reference to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is obvious, also because of the terminology used in relation to the war. And with the aforementioned tensions between Christians and Muslims, the novel touches therefore on current events

Bellová drew for her book from her own memories of her Bulgarian grandmother – this, despite the fictional setting, gives the story an authentic character (for example, different dishes or special customs are mentioned etc.). It is an ode to strong women who can appear authoritarian and harsh, but at the same time care for their families with great love and sacrifice. 

“Bello­vá has written a fairly traditional narrative, plus exactly what one would expect from the topic of generational trauma — the village, the power of the clan, male and female roles, the possibility of acceptance by the community and the threat of disinheritance, forbidden love and its resistance, death, whether by the hand of a stranger, or your own. Still, it’s an unusual book. And this for several reasons: firstly, because Bell can build a story from a non-existent city and a non-existent civil war with a non-existent minority so believably that readers want to look for Serafina on the map and look for the Amal ethnicity.”

— Kosmas