Olja Knezevic

Set in Montenegro, this is Katarina’s story, looking back on her life. It is split into two parts – the first, Catherine the Small, is the story of her youth in the 1980s, and the second, Catherine the Great, reflects her adult life. The first half is a coming-of-age story that covers her friendships and relationships. The second half focuses on her dysfunctional marriage and motherhood.

Katarina is a wonderful character. She comes across as realistic and believable, a strong woman who show more has endured multiple tragedies and has not been defeated. Her role as narrator is effective. In the first section, Katarina sounds like a young person navigating interpersonal relationships. In the second section, her voice is more mature. She has experienced tough times in life and learned a great deal.

The story provides a good bit of Montenegrin history, as the region moves from a republic of Yugoslavia, under Tito, to an independent country, though the Bosnian War remains mostly in the background. This history is integrated into the narrative, so the reader is aware of it, but there are no long asides explaining the background. We see its impact on the characters. A reader unfamiliar with this region may want to do a bit of internet research.

I got more absorbed into the story as it progressed and vastly prefer the second half to the first. Knežević was born in Montenegro and is the first book I have read in this uncommon setting. She provides beautiful descriptions of the countryside. I read the English translation by Ellen Elias-Bursać and Paula Gordon. show less