S.: A Novel About the Balkans - Softcover

"Drakulic's novel will leave you with survivor guilt even while never having undergone the horrific events described. . . . Descriptions of camp life rival those of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in graphic and compelling detail." --The Nation

Set in 1992, during the height of the Bosnian war, ‘S.’ reveals one of the most horrifying aspects of any war: the rape and torture of civilian women by occupying forces. S. is a Bosnian woman in exile who has just given birth to an unwanted child, one without a country, a name, a father, or a language. The birth of this child reminds her of an even more gruelling experience – being repeatedly raped by Serbian soldiers in the ‘women’s room’ of a prison camp. Through a series of flashbacks, S. relives the unspeakable crimes she has endured, and in telling her story – timely, strangely compelling, and ultimately about survival – depicts the darkest side of human nature during wartime.

‘Drakulic has given the world a gift, digging into the twisted reality of war ... a novel of cataclysmic power’ San Francisco Chronicle.