The Time of Wasps

Revenge or forgiveness? A novel about the force of the past and the power of flowers

Bára and the Birdwatcher. Two people whose paths crossed long before they met. Bára is convinced that her life would have been much happier if someone hadn’t interfered with it and changed its course years ago. She can’t bring back the past, but she can try to rewrite it in people’s memories. She has thoughts of revenge. But for now, as she settles into her new home and plants her flowers, she waits.

Unlike Bára, the Birdwatcher has learned to live with his past. He doesn’t feel wronged. He doesn’t mind being considered an eccentric. He isn’t lonely. His freedom, the forest, and birdwatching are enough for him. But are they really?

Alena Mornštajnová’s new novel has everything that makes her books so popular: a deep story and believable heroes who, despite what fate has dealt them, are treading a path to a happier life.

‘If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I would say that this is a novel about a path to ordinary human happiness. Life gives away nothing for free. Not to anyone. Being happy or contented – to me, these words are synonyms – takes a lot of work,’ says the author about her book.