She Who Remains by Rene Karabash

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize
 
High in the Accursed Mountains, in a village ruled by the ancient laws of the Kanun, Bekija escapes an arranged marriage by becoming a sworn virgin, renouncing her womanhood to live as a man. Her decision sets off a brutal chain of events, destroying her family and separating her from the one she loves the most. Years later, as Bekija – now Matija – tells their story to a visiting journalist, long-buried truths come to light, along with the realisation of all that might have been.
 
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'Izidora Angel works magic with words [...] Rene Karabash's She Who Remains ensnares you into a contemporary world of ancient patriarchal law and guides you through its perilous territory on an intense journey of identity (trans)formation, family commitment, and love [...] it bridges genres and forms to tell the gripping story of two women, one Bulgarian and one Albanian, and the cultural and geographic barriers between them [...] there is joy and there is beauty in the texts Angel translates from Bulgarian, and above all - the promise of rebirth and salvation.' - Stiliana Milkova Rousseva, Reading in Translation
 
'She Who Remains reads like a dark fairy tale from a time when life was lived closer to the bone . . . Bold and visionary, Rene Karabash's novel unfurls a world of blood feuds and sworn virgins - women accepted into society as men - in a dreamlike narration that burns up the page with feverish urgency. Izidora Angel's translation from Bulgarian thrillingly captures the novel's dense tapestry of hypnotic language.' - Katrina Dodson
 
'Rene Karabash has composed an enigmatic and mesmerizing tale, one as lyrical, lucid and enchanting as a song. The rhythm of the sentences has the pulse of a dark and sparkling river, carrying the reader away. She Who Remains is a fever dream about breaking down archaic rituals and being haunted by them; a modern fairy tale written in blood and milk, spinning its spellbinding threads into a story of loss and longing, destiny and desire.' - Kirstine Reffstrup, author of Iron Lung