Well - The Jelínek File

When you hear the name The Well, most readers will recall the family tragedy that became etched in the national consciousness thanks to the TV series The Thirty Cases of Major Zeman. The theme remains as compelling as ever, as a recent television adaptation confirms.

But what is the truth about the horrific night in the Central Bohemian village of Vonoklasy, about the events that led to it, and about what followed? What were the fates of the main protagonists, the husband and wife Marie and Stanislav Jelínek, and their son, also named Stanislav? Naturally, the television portrayal selects only what fits its intended effect; this is logical and cannot be criticised. But it may surprise you to learn that the investigating authorities made a similar 'selection' in 1968.

This discovery is one of the key points of the book. Ilona Vejvalková has shown bulldog-like determination, which gave her access to classified materials and, above all, to unexpected interventions in the police investigation. In light of her discoveries, the 'clear and obvious truth' – that the father killed the mother, forced or directly tried to kill his son, and finally took his own life – collapses like a house of cards.

The author does not present a definitive version of what happened on the night of the 13th to the 14th of February 1968. She simply shows us that even in this criminal case, which at first glance seems purely a matter of criminal law, political interest in a swift and decisive conclusion played a surprisingly strong role.

An equally important aspect is the empathetic view of the main characters. In a sensitive narrative that alternates between factual and fictional passages, we see a father crushed by life's failures, a devoted mother, and, above all, the sole survivor: a son who compensates for his physical disability with an intellect bordering on genius. For many years, the three of them navigated the 'minefield' of a reclusive family surrounded by hostile neighbours. The explosion of insane violence, in which a well plays a significant role, did not happen suddenly or by chance. Unmanageable tension, perceived and real injustices, and endless battles with the world and with themselves all relentlessly created a fertile ground for the final apocalypse. And only the son, Stanislav, could have known how it all happened.

You can read the book with bated breath as a story so shocking it seems almost unimaginable. Yet, on the other hand, the individual pieces of the puzzle fell into place over the decades with a horrifying inevitability... And with no less inevitability, the relevant authorities issued an 'irrefutable' explanation and closed the case.

Ilona Vejvalková fundamentally shakes this 'certainty'. In addition to her own reflections, she supports this with numerous documents, as well as family testimony. There is also a photographic appendix that takes the reader not only to the scene of the tragedy but also to other locations where engineer Stanislav Jelínek lived for the rest of his life. Officially innocent, silent... and perhaps, in the end, at peace.