A novel IN CZECH (for copyright, please write to the author at reiner.cz@gmail.com)

Lucy, Maceška, and I, Martin Reiner’s second work of prose, is a story of special internal sensitivity and mystery. These two ingredients alone give it the necessary suspense and dynamics, and they are given ample support by the manner of the narration. Its short chapters each comprise a miniature text with a brief title; the rapid pace of the narrative, the cuts from one time-scale to another and the delaying of the climax all give the reader the impression of an almost investigative quest. The work is highly readable, smooth-flowing, always sure; it is infused with poetry and lively language. The trio at its heart – a little girl, an elderly poet and a self-seeking young man – at first make a disparate trio, but the co-ordinates come together to form effective and mutually indispensable parts of a touching, multi-layered and artfully woven story.