Nicolette Polek Knihy

In this collection of compact fictions, Nicolette Polek transports us to a gently unsettling realm inhabited by disheveled landlords, a fugitive bride, a seamstress who forgets what people look like, and two rival falconers from neighboring towns. They find themselves in bathhouses, sports bars, grocery stores, and forests in search of exits, pink tennis balls, licorice, and independence. Yet all of her beautifully strange characters are possessed by a familiar and human longing for connection: to their homes, families, God, and themselves.Miniature catastrophes --The rope barrier --Coed picnic --Winners --Grocery story --Garden party --Arranged marriage --American interiors --A house for living --The dance --The nearby place --Invitation --Doorstop --Imaginary museums --Your shining trapdoor --Slovak sceneries --Sabbatical --Flowers for Angelika --Thursdays at Waterhouse --The seamstress --How to eat well --Owls fall in Nitra --Library of lost things --Girls I no longer know --Guest books --Field notes --Rest in pieces --Pets I no longer have --The squinter's watch --Love language

An electrifying debut novel explores art, solitude, family, and faith in a world devoid of it. In 1967, dancer Marta Becket and her husband discovered an abandoned theater in Death Valley Junction. Marta claimed it as her own, painting her ideal audience on its walls and performing until her death five decades later. In the present, Gia has ended a relationship and taken a leave from her university film studies job, sleeping excessively and avoiding her mother’s calls. While exploring a library archive, she finds a photo of Marta Becket and decides to write her a letter. Miraculously, Marta appears in Gia’s home, and Gia hopes she will help her navigate her despair. However, can Marta’s solitary life truly guide her? Through vivid vignettes, Gia grapples with the temptation to retreat into herself while seeking meaningful connections. Her journey involves confronting unsettling charcoal drawings in her garage, a corpse in a pond, and a crooked pear sapling, leading her to Marta’s theater, the Amargosa Opera House. There, in the desert, Gia discovers an answer. This astonishing novel delves into individual awakening and existential questions about faith, self-perception, and the purpose of art.