Bartłomiej Grubich
The author of this novel needs no introduction. Grubich was awarded, inter alia, at the International Crime Festival in 2015, 2016 and 2018, as well as in the competitions “Poznań Zły” (1st place in 2014), “Poznań Fantastic” (3rd place in 2014), as well as in the “Literary Thematic Competition” in 2016 and 2018. Author of Koniec. He also published fairy tales about a city where it always rains and the world has ended in such magazines as “Nowy Obywatel” or “Take Me”. Grubich made his debut with Runner , a book that was very well received by the literary community. What a pleasure to be able to read another novel by the author!
Good bad starts
When a young barmaid disappears without a trace, three people follow her footsteps: the missing girl’s best friend, a man platonically in love with her, and a priest who wants to help the girl’s relative. The heroes take on a difficult task and initially wander around the city in chaos and uncertainty, without achieving any results. In Bydgoszcz, the present begins to mix with the past, and Satan appears on the way of wanderers. It cannot be denied that Grubich’s idea is enchanting from the very first pages. The surreal world draws the reader and engages them in the described events. Reading is also a chance to think differently about the popular Polish city, Bydgoszcz, even though – as we know perfectly well – the author’s concept does not necessarily convey true content. The investigation from which the story begins, is a good start to a successful story; it is a pity that the author did not decide to maintain this climate, giving up at least a little, for example, the detailed descriptions of the characters’ attitudes. Stagnation and existential pain will be symbolized in the novel by a clown from Bydgoszcz, whose makeup hides all cares; the mentioned hero does it in a completely different way than the character created by Stephen King in the famous novelIt . So do not be deceived by appearances.
Clown smile
From the cover of the novel a clown peers at us – a bit blurry, devoid of some parts of the body, another – neither worse nor better. Vesper publishing house, as always, took care of the aesthetics of the publication and contributed to the fact that the potential reader looking at the book may be haunted by the thought: yes, this book I want, regardless of its content! The end has been enriched with a black end paper with elements duplicating in the book, which makes it even more beautiful. In addition, the publishing house also included a cover with a clown in the lead role! Summing up, Grubich’s proposal can certainly be liked; It is true that we do not know who will surprise us imperceptibly in the following pages of the novel, but – no matter what – we will definitely have a great time. The end is a novel that puts us in a state between reality and sleep; we can never be sure what is real.
