She expertly inhabits the excitable and curious voice of Ludek to convey his sense of loss for an irretrievable past, the pain of separation and the scarcity of resources characterising Prague in the 1980s, while Malá Liska's devotion to her grandparents doesn't shield her from their trauma, the indignity of old age and the erasure of their identity in their loss of language and the Anglicisation of their names. Parrett's prose is gentle and tender yet unflinching about the effects of intergenerational trauma and war so much is conveyed in so few words. The novel oscillates in nearly every way-between the viewpoints of separated cousins Ludek and Malá Liska, between Prague and Melbourne, and between different timelines spanning from the 1930s to the 1990s-but this fragmented storytelling style never detracts from the deeply human story at its heart. No matter what.įavel Parrett's third novel, There Was Still Love, is a meticulously observed and masterfully crafted immigrant story about a displaced Czech family. It is a tender and beautifully told story of memory, family and love. Favel Parrett's deep emotional insight and stellar literary talent shine through in this love letter to the strong women who bind families together, despite dislocation and distance. A life imbued with the spirit of Prague and the loved ones left behind.
Here, Mana and Bill have made a life for themselves and their granddaughter. Inside, the smell of warm pipe tobacco and homemade cakes. Melbourne, 1980: Mala Liska's grandma holds her hand as they climb the stairs to their third floor flat. The world can go to hell for all he cares because Babi is waiting for him in the warm flat. A young boy can slip right under the heavy blanket that covers this city - the fear cannot touch him. His anger slaps Eva, but his hate will change everything, as war forces so many lives into small, brown suitcases. Eva runs into him, hits the pavement hard. Suddenly a man steps out, a man wearing a hat. Prague, 1938: Eva flies down the street from her sister.
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