Before we split up

The new novel from the popular author explores human relationships and the state of the world at the turn of the last millennium. It charts the interconnected destinies of several families in Czechoslovakia and the Balkans during the 1990s, a decade that brought not only the fall of communism and the end of the Cold War, but also the dissolution of countries and families, and new armed conflicts.

An old photographer travels with his young apprentice along the Mediterranean coast, returning to places that marked his destiny in the past. Two friends, together with a Serbian interpreter, search for neglected memorials to fallen Czech soldiers in Serbia. The division of Czechoslovakia and the opening of the StB archives disrupt the relationships in two families, who must find their way back to each other. And in a bombed-out Belgrade, a young woman prepares for the birth of her first child…

Iva Tajovská touches upon the themes of humanity and empathy, which people naturally crave even in the most difficult of times. Her powerful and direct prose delves deep into the consciences of her heroes, but at the same time offers hope – it is hidden within the people themselves, in the children who, if loved enough, can find a way to heal the open wounds.