Translated by Matt Robinson — During the 1990s when Yugoslavia split up, the region went through violent and cataclysmic changes. As communism collapsed, ethnic and political tensions led to conflict, with different nationalities fighting over once-shared territories. It was a tumultuous time and one might expect any book set with this as a backdrop to be a long, complicated and dry read. However, Jurica Pavičić, who lived through that era, has written a succinct and understated story of personal and communal trauma which is immensely affecting.
The story begins in 1989 on the Dalmatian Coast, now part of Croatia, where a family goes about what appears to be their normal life. Vesna is a school teacher, proud of her vocation and popular with pupils. She has been married to Jakov, a factory worker, for nearly 18 years, and together they have twins Mate and Silva. Mate is reserved, responsible and courteous whilst Silva is beautiful and used to getting her way.
The family’s veneer of normality is first fractured by Silva’s sudden disappearance, then shattered by revelations about her behaviour that arise from the subsequent police investigation.
Gorki Šain leads said investigation. Silva’s boyfriend, Brane, is interviewed, as is the baker’s son, Adrijan, who was seen making out with Silva at a party the night before her disappearance. Neither is arrested, but Adrijan remains a suspect in the eyes of the police and Silva’s family. Gorki uncovers rumours that Silva has been dealing heroin to girls at her school and indeed a package containing the drug is discovered hidden at the family home. Now it looks more like Silva has been murdered and the investigation gathers in intensity.
However, no significant progress is made and for the police the case gradually moves from an active state to a cold one. The family are left to grieve in their own way. Vesna seems to shrink within herself, angry with her family and the world. Mate and Jakov cannot accept the Silva’s death without proof and carry on searching for her after the police have stopped.
Through their diligent efforts, a witness, Elda, is discovered. Elda remembers a girl matching Silva’s description buying a train ticket for travel across the country the day after Silva’s disappearance. With murder seemingly ruled out, they fail to get the police interested again, and Jakov and Mate redouble their efforts to find her, sacrificing much of their personal lives over the next decade.
Pavičić writes each individual chapter from a character’s perspective. Mainly this is the family members, but also from other people affected by Silva’s absence, including Gorki, Adrijan, Brane and others too. Told chronologically from 1989 through to 2015, Red Water charts the breakdown of a family, a community and a country, as well as the return to some semblance of normality.
By 2015 Gorki has left the police to earn a living preying on the desperate and vulnerable to buy up land on the cheap. He returns by chance to his home town. Pricked by his conscience and wounded professional pride, he makes a final attempt to solve the mystery of Silva’s disappearance. Red Water isn’t a traditional crime novel. Silva’s disappearance is a catalyst for the story being told, but not the focus of the novel.
Since its initial publication in 2017, Red Water has won a number of literary prizes and been described as a masterpiece. Frankly, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for an English translation; all credit to the publisher for picking it up. I have a feeling this one will stay with me for a long time.
Read our interview with Jurica Pavičic here.
Bitter Lemon Press
Print/Kindle
£7.99
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
