Very Little Light

This three-part novel tells the stories of three seemingly very different characters whose crises bring them home with the hope of restoring their weary souls. The reader’s task is to see through their language of, more or less, disturbed minds, which is not easy although highly rewarding. A schizophrenic art historian, an alcoholic, former minister, and a student of philosophy who cannot distinguish reality from dreams, are the unreliable narrators that confront us with their fuzzy worldviews given in a bitter-sweet, harsh and humorous tone. Using some of the more interesting techniques of the writer’s craft, Matijević’s masterful narrative structure, combined with modern sensibility, restores our faith in the power of art.

“We can conclude that this novel by Vladan Matijević represents an excellently conceived and executed work…The pessimism of the novel is convincingly depicted by the author, prompting the readers to undertake an active approach to analysing and determining their position in relation to the narrative. I think that it is precisely this provoking quality which is the strongest quality of the novel.”

Ivan Radosavljević