📘 "She Who Remains" by Rene Karabash, translated from Bulgarian into English by Izidora Angel

IBP season continues! But unfortunately I didn't like this longlist entry.

This is about a young woman in Albania living in a patriarchal culture according to the laws of the Kanun. She becomes the patriarch of her family by committing to be a sworn virgin: women who are regarded as men after they've renounced their womanhood and pledged to remain 'pure'. With this action they gain the rights and freedom men have as well. However, for this main character, things didn't go as planned.

Sadly I thought the story remained shallow compared to what it could have been. If there was a lot of research put into it, it doesn't come across that way. The gender dynamics are the highlight of the novel, but they were mostly explored in obvious, expected ways. A lot of potential hiding in a story that was too simplistic in my eyes.

The most interesting part of the book was the experimental writing style combining prose, poetry and letters. I liked it for what it was, but still, I thought that it could have been utilized more effectively to really strengthen the story and put some different perspectives on things, but it didn't go that far.

I wasn't too happy with the book so far, but it was still a so-so experience for me. Then I entered part two, where the book really tumbled down the mountain and fell on its face. The personality change in the protagonist was jarring, the love story was superficial, the letter we got to read was full of cliches, I hated the reason given for the protagonist's stomach cramps, and the ending was so desperately Hollywood that I felt punished for finishing the book.

I looked forward to reading this title the most from all of the titles on the IBP longlist, so it was extra disappointing. I'm still very much interested in the topic itself though, and when I was looking around for other related reads I stumbled upon 'Sworn Virgin' written by Elvira Dones, which is now on my to-read list. I also came across an online article about a photographer who made pictures of some of the last sworn virgins. Very cool project, the link is here:

https://lenscratch.com/2013/09/jill-peters/

#AmReading #WomenInTranslation #InternationalBooker2026