9789180805551 by Smakprov Media AB

YLVA KAISER Landslide

By the same author: Tango in Italian (2022)

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand, Stockholm, Sweden

Printer: BoD – Books on Demand, Norderstedt, Germany

ISBN: 978-91-8080-555-1

Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.

– Neil Gaiman, The Sandman: Dream Country

Dead Air

The first time she heard the sound, it reminded her of the old tractor farmer Kovačević down the road used to drive. The one that needed at least ten minutes to warm up, before the engine haltingly spluttered to life, the reluctant clatter of metal pieces grinding together accompanied by the grudging huff of the engine and the rattle of loose rusty parts that should have been changed decades ago, as the ancient vehicle made its slow progress along the uneven, rocky mountain path.

But it was too late in the fall for harvest, too late to be setting crops or bringing the shorn hay in. It was almost winter, the first frost leaving the yellowed grass stiff and grey, glittering in the morning sun climbing over the hills. Despite the villagers being early risers, this was uncharacteristic of the season, still barely dawn.

She was still in bed, sunlight creeping in through the annoying sliver of a space between the curtain and the window that always fluttered open, as it was still too warm in the attic for her to shut it entirely as she slept. She rubbed her eyes against it, turning her back on the window, on the sound, pulling her blanket tighter around her. The sound grew louder, but she paid no heed – the tractor must be coming up the hill, slowly but steadily.

Then the door slammed open, and she heard her uncle’s voice, and the urgency in it.

“Vesna”, he said, his breath short, as if he had been running, “ you need to get up. Now.”

“It’s still early”, she began, but he grabbed the blanket wrapped around her and tugged.

“Now, Vesna”, he repeated, as the blanket hit the floor with a thud. “We need to go. ”

“Alright, I’m coming”, she consented, but he was already out the door before she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. By the time she was dressed and downstairs she heard voices; people shouting outside, people running. She looked around, her aunt grabbing bread and cheese and unceremoniously stuffing it into a battered fabric bag.

“What is going on, teta?” she asked, but no one seemed to have time to answer her. Outside, daylight grew brighter, while the sound grew louder, and louder, and louder.

“Come, child, we cannot linger.” Her uncle ducked back in through the door, grabbing her arm. The shock of the light blinded her, and she threw her arms up in front of her eyes. But even as she did, she saw them.

In formation, like birds. Five sleek, black birds, wings spread, beaks poised, searching for prey, ready to strike.

Airplanes.

And when the rattling returned, she knew, although she could not understand, it was not that of a village waking from morning slumber, of an old, faltering engine clinging to life.

It was the sound of death, and a world ending.

I

Winter Sounds

What happens when, in the blink of an eye, the life you know no longer exists?

Vesna is thirteen and visiting her aunt and uncle in the mountains when her reality is abruptly turned on its end by the attack of enemy aircraft. All but cut oﬀ from the outside world, the secluded village begins to feel more like a prison than a refuge

Desperate to return home, she embarks on a perilous journey, accompanied only by her own ﬁerce determination and the boy she befriends along the way, who somehow has the ability to look beyond the desolation and ﬁnd magic even in a broken world.

But can she ﬁnd the way home, and will there even be a home at the end of the road?

Set against the backdrop of the Croatian War of Independence, this is the story of two young people coming of age in a fractured land. In a place where violence is abundant, nothing is certain, and children are forced to grow up too fast, the line between reality and imagination begins to blur

And when the smoke clears, the question remains – what is real, and what is merely a fantasy? How do you build a new life, when you are no longer sure who you really are?

Ylva Kaiser was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. A biomedical scientist by training, she holds a PhD in Medical Science with focus on immunology, and is currently working as a Medical Advisor within the pharmaceutical industry. Formerly a competitive tennis player at national elite level, she has a keen interest in sports. She loves to travel and explore new cultures, enjoys spending time in nature, and ﬁrmly believes life is too short for bad food and wine.