She Who Remains

She Who Remains, Rene Karabash' s landmark Bulgarian queer novel, secrets readers into a rural Albanian village where, to this day, the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini-- a collection of archaic laws-- looms over the lives of villagers with the same haunting presence of the surrounding mountains. Bekija, painfully aware of why she cannot have what she most wants, chooses to become a " sworn virgin," setting off a bloody and heartbreaking chain of events that shatters a family and destroys a cherished relationship, but also reveals how trauma can lead to vital, if uncomfortable, truths.Karabash' s poetic stream of consciousness traces gender evolution with innovative grace. This bold exploration of what it means to be a woman in a world defined by the violence of ancient patriarchal traditions has resonated with readers across Europe and beyond, and now English-language readers won' t soon forget Izidora Angel' s award-winning translation.