Recently, Elena Pavlova turned to the young readers and “Asen…” is a book, aimed at “my 12-13 yr old self”, as she once said. At first it may look like a well-known story – about a kid, discovering that the world has hidden folds, not necessarily nice and welcoming. It is also the eternal account of growing-up, with all expected and surprising bruises and wisdom that come along.
The new element here is the setting – Elena avoids the typical American/English point of view and puts the reader in the shoes of a kid growing up in Eastern Europe. It is an open question if this is our time line, but for all intents and purposes it is close enough. Asen, the title character, has lost his Mom to a terrible disease – an element, that can be traced to other works of Elena Pavlova – and even though his step-mother is well-meaning enough, he faces some tough challenges, expecting a new member of the family. It is the step-mother that sends him to attend something akin to a scout’s summer camp that is meant to keep him occupied in these difficult times, and this is where the story begins.
…
Останалото може да прочетете в:
https://europasf.eu/alternate-history-class-101-asen-and-the-travelers-in-100-bulgarias-a-review-by-valentin-ivanov/
Valentin D. Ivanov 