In Zagreb, a couple discovers a museum that displays mementos of broken relationships. A whirlwind summer of reconnecting with lost pasts follows.
Tyler is in therapy. Katia and Goran are in love. On a summer trip to Zagreb, the couple discover an unusual museum that displays mementos of broken relationships. Inside, Goran stumbles upon an exhibit that seems to be addressed to him, from a girl he met in a Sarajevo refugee camp at age fourteen. What follows is a whirlwind summer of reconnecting with lost pasts: Goran confronts the youth he lost during the Yugoslav Wars, Katia heads to Brazil to find her roots, and Afghanistan veteran Tyler pours out his soul. Set against alternating backdrops of violent circumstances, this novel is a soulful testament to the resilience of the human heart.
The Museum of Lost Love by Gary Barker was published by World Editions on 1 October 2019
My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour
This is one of the most beautifully written books that I've read for a long time. Quite short, but with great emotional depth; it's a story that is filled with tragedy and fear, yet has such an air of hope throughout it.
Set during summer in Zagreb, the author has centred his story around a place that really exists; the extraordinary and unique museum that displays mementos of broken relationships; and tells the stories behind them.
Tyler, Katia and Goran are three wonderfully created characters; each of them have a rich and complex history and their own stories are masterfully woven throughout the novel.
The author has each character individually narrate a chapter, and each one ends with a tale from one of the museum exhibits. The reader travels a journey of love and loss alongside the characters; learning more and more about each one and what has shaped them to become the people that they are today.
This is a novel of reflection, and it certainly made me think about my own relationships, and how they have shaped my future.
A mesmerising storyteller; this novel is written with intelligence and warmth
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| Gary Barker, Picture by Andy DelGiudice |
GARY BARKER is an author, researcher, and human rights activist.
He is founder and director of Promundo, an international organization that works with men and boys in more than 25 countries to achieve gender equality and end violence against women.
He has been awarded an Ashoka Fellowship and an Open Society Fellowship for his work in conflict zones.
His previous novels include Luisa’s Last Words, Mary of Kivu, and The Afghan Vampires Book Club (co-written with Michael Kaufman).
Barker lives in Washington, DC.
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