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Alena Mornštajnová

The Silent Years

The Silent Years

Translated by Alžběta Belánová
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Forthcoming in May 2026.

A gripping family mystery that reveals how hidden pasts shape our present and transform our future.

Bohdana is an introverted young woman grappling with tensions in her family and a lingering question she can’t quite shake: on her last visit to the hospital, why did her gravely ill grandmother call her ‘Blanka,’ and what potential hidden past is her family keeping from her? As Bohdana struggles to piece together the truth, another story unfolds alongside hers—that of Svatopluk Žák, a devoted builder of socialist society who hopes his beloved family’s future will be as brilliant as the star on the Soviet flag. When their two stories collide, hidden histories come to light.

In The Silent Years, Czech author Alena Mornštajnová weaves a rich, intimate family drama that reveals how easily a carefully constructed world can shatter and transform in an instant. Set in postwar Czechoslovakia, the novel follows a human story against a larger backdrop of a society in upheaval.

If you are ordering from India, your order will be shipped from Seagull Books, Calcutta. Shipping is free for orders above ₹999. It takes a maximum of 7 working days your order to be delivered.

If you are ordering from the US or the UK or anywhere else in the world, your order will be shipped from the University of Chicago Press' distribution centre, Chicago.

Please note: For customers paying in currencies other than Indian rupee or US dollar, prices will be calculated according to the currency conversion rate at the time of purchase and may vary from the printed price.
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