The World I Chose

The novel The World I Chose is a story about the transformation of Leona, whose sense of self and identity changes and develops through her encounter with various people and spaces: the basement in which she moves after a her divorce, the residents of the basement and the house above, the members of the education board, the office in which their meetings take place. The internal monologues in which Leona analyzes herself and the people around her with psychological depth and precision, often recalling the past, are interwoven with the ongoing episodes taking place at the board meetings. The dominant characteristic of the novel is its heterogeneity: the presence of various generations, classes, gender tensions, children with atypical cognitive development, excellently conveyed characters, ethical dimensions, empathy towards people, but also criticism.

The Novel of the Year Award for 2024, awarded by the Foundation for the Promotion of Cultural Values “Slavko Janevski” .