The Contrast of War & Childhood Reverie
Reviewed:
by Magdalena Blažević
Translated by Anđelka Raguž
Linden Editions, 176 pp., $17.50 (paper)
Publication Date: 4/15/25
Like shattered glass, war upends lives, leaving permanent scars that can be mended and hidden, but never erased. This indelible stain is captured brilliantly in Magdalena Blažević’s poignant novel In Late Summer. Inspired by real events and her own experiences as a Bosnian native, Blažević delivers a heart-wrenching story of an idyllic village that finds itself thrust into the violent maelstrom of war.
In contrast to its tragic ending, the novel begins with cheer, unfolding in a series of vignettes that capture a whimsical Bosnian village, sunlit summer days, playful games, and the fragile innocence of childhood. Readers see through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Ivana, who vividly depicts the family, friends, and neighboring villagers who filled her ordinary life before the narrative starkly shifts with the arrival of war: “It's clear that the creak on the stairs and the clang of metal are announcing death.” The novel then adopts a somber tone, while retaining a softened, innocent perspective that shelters both readers and Ivana from the flurry of atrocities. As her family and others hide, flee, and fight the invading soldiers, Ivana’s trauma blends with her radiant memories, creating striking parallels—such as the sweet strawberry syrup of her childhood and the viscous pool of a soldier’s blood. Following the war, her family and dearest friend, Dunja, return to the village, despondent and left to gather the irreparable pieces of their lives.
Across each page, Blažević’s narrative remains both economic and charged, with a Faulknerian intensity that leaves readers holding onto every word. By the novel’s end, the once-vibrant village, ravaged beyond recognition, embodies the rich symbolism of decay, like a rotten apple fallen from its orchards. At times sharp, at others lyrical, the prose balances moments of heightened tension with poetic beauty.
Like Ivana’s friend Dunja, readers are left wondering, “How can the world still be the same?” Of course, it isn’t. Despite the world’s ability to recover and carry on after each atrocity, the victims and blood-stained memories of war are never forgotten. Blažević’s novel is a powerful story of remembrance, survival, and innocence.
