You can't run from yourself! A new novel by a popular Czech author.
“I can’t be straight, but I can’t be crooked either. My life has split in two and I’m no longer waiting for a strong rope to keep me safe,” muses Dr Hynek Grábl, a surgeon in a border-town hospital, who has given up hope that his life might one day take a turn for the better.
A top specialist’s career at a Prague clinic came to a premature end due to a drunken scrape, and now it's not just him who has to bear the consequences, but also his eternally dissatisfied wife and teenage children. Neither his personal nor his financial accounts show a favourable balance, and all the symptoms of a mid-life crisis are appearing on the horizon. But Grábl's attempts to find a way out are more like a roller-coaster ride, and often end in a hangover. Will his beloved profession, a mistress, or a new chance to return to interesting surgery and grow his career help him?
Both inside and outside the operating theatre, it's sometimes hard to tell who's playing what game, who is the winner and who is the loser, and where the next path will lead. Hynek G. often has no choice but to hope he won't sink to rock bottom.
Petra Dvořáková
(born 1977) first came to the attention of readers with her book of interviews, Proměněné sny (Transformed Dreams, 2006), for which she received a Magnesia Litera award. Her other titles also gained attention, including the biographical Já jsem hlad (I Am Hunger, 2009) and Sítě — příběhy (ne)sebevědomí (Nets — Stories of (In)Confidence, 2016). Her book Julie mezi slovy (Julie Between Words, 2013) was awarded the Golden Ribbon for the best fiction book for young people. For young readers, she has also written Flouk a Líla (Flouk and Líla, 2015) and Každý má svou lajnu (Everyone Has Their Own Line, 2017). Her novel Dědina (The Village, 2018) became one of the best-selling and most acclaimed titles in Czech prose. In her new book, the author offers a glimpse into a professional environment she experienced first-hand after graduating from medical school.
– Excerpt from the book
“So, let’s close it up, shall we?” I wonder aloud. “What else?” says Havlát. “The histology will tell.” While we're stitching, the circulating nurse prepares the formaldehyde to preserve the tissue and send it to the lab. Andrea is handing me the suture, but she's still eyeing that piece of tissue. “Andrea, get a move on,” Havlát barks at her when he sees her hands are slowing down. “Doctor, you know what I think I see? It looks like there are threads in it,” she says, turning the mass over. “What threads?” Vincz immediately rushes over. We stare at it again, then Havlát takes a scalpel and tries to cut into it. A grid-like structure all the way through. And there we have it! “It really is, a forgotten swab from a previous operation,” I say, looking at Havlát. He cuts into it twice more, just to be sure, but there's no doubt.
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