All good things come to an end. This is also the case with the Wrocław cycle . Through Cry, Marta Kisiel bids readers farewell to the Sorrowful sisters and the Stern family. And as you know, partings can be sad.
From Wrocław to Wałbrzych
Cry is the third novel by Marta Kisiel , after Toń and Nomen Omen , which is part of the Wrocław cycle. Readers have the opportunity to visit the well-known heroes again. After the recent events, the Painful ladies cannot shake off the loss of their sister, the paths of the Stern family have parted, and Gerd is depressed. So everyone experiences their own inner dramas. Meanwhile, Eleanor has disappeared somewhere in the depths of time and desperately begs for help. Therefore, her relatives must abandon their own worries, unite and go to help. The task will not be that simple. Contradictory fate keeps throwing them at their feet. And the area of searching for any traces of the librarian extends from Wrocław to Wałbrzych.
Before you start sobbing
To start reading The Cry , you should first read the previous parts of the Wrocław cycle . This, in this case, is certainly required. Without it, the recipient will not know who Sternówny, Gerd, Karolek or Ramses are, which happened a few months earlier, and how psychopomps or mojras work in general. So it will be easy to get lost and thus discourage from reading it. It is also worth reaching for Nomen Omen , although it is no longer indispensable. The story of Salka and her brother Niedaś is briefly presented in Płaczand are not so closely related to its plot. Of course, I encourage you to read this item too. Thanks to it, we will get to know the history and characters of the Sorrowful sisters better, and we will also become closer to Roy Keane.
On the shelves of shops and libraries you will also find other books by Marta Kisiel, i.e. the cycle Life . It was because of him that I fell in love with the works of this amazing Altorka and I cannot remain indifferent to any of the books she wrote. So it’s worth spending your time on them as well, but that’s a completely different story.
Secrets, darkness and a hint of sarcasm
If someone has dealt only with Life , he will surely be surprised by the different style that Ałtorka proposes in the novel Crying . The climate here is definitely darker and denser. We are dealing with a mixture of urban fantasy style, drama and crime fiction. There are also comedy threads. These are primarily provided by Matylda the Sorrowful, through her sarcastic comments and sharp retorts. The other heroes aren’t just serious and depressed all the time. A lot of smiles on her face are also caused by Marta Kisiel herself, who, as is her habit, often makes unusual comparisons referring to the world of pop culture. For most of the novel, however, we will sit in concentration and tension. Fate is not kind to the heroes, and we will feel the dense mood around them on our own skin. Even Toń was not that dark. If, in turn, you become attached to the heroes, we can tell you one thing – in the end you will do what Ałtorka tells you to do, i.e. cry.
Time to say goodbye
Cry is a novel with an extraordinary plot that is suspenseful from the first to the last page. It reads extremely quickly. This is due to both the captivating story and the writing style to which Marta Kisiel has become accustomed. Ałtorka once again does not disappoint her fans (I know what I am saying, I am one of them). We have the opportunity to meet our favorite heroes again, get to know them even better, and say goodbye to them. Although I still hope some will come back. Somewhere. Once. Maybe in another cycle? Or in a crossover with Life Covenant ? I wish this to us, but not necessarily to Konrad Romanczuk.
