Winner of the EU Prize for Literature, Shortlisted for the Kresnik Award
Twenty-five years into the future, a glitch in the global communications network is ripping a previously united world apart at the seams. The millennials find themselves hardest hit, trapped in a crumbling world they did not want – among them childhood friends Evan, an addict theatre director; Kras, a family patriarch and ex-war-minister; and Zoja, an anarchist poet. As they each prepare to celebrate their fiftieth birthdays, the friends desperately try to recapture the magic of their former lives and hold on to some sort of sense of belonging.
With its experimental style and sharp focus on the contradictions of modernity, In/Half is a powerful statement on the perils of the future, and on the nature of the novel, by an outstanding voice from the new generation of writers.
About the Author
Jasmin B. Frelih studied comparative literature, literary theory and history at the University of Ljubljana. His published works include a short story collection (Tiny Ideologies) and a book of essays (Pale Freedom). His debut novel In/Half was published in 2013 to great critical acclaim, receiving the best literary debut award at the annual Slovenian Book Fair as well as the EU Prize for Literature. In/Half was also shortlisted for the Kresnik Award, and translation rights have been sold to more than ten territories. He lives in Slovenia.
Industry Reviews
'A topical narrative with delightfully experimental stylization... In/Half has established Frelih as one of Slovenia's rising literary stars.' * World Literature Today, Nota Bene *
'The blend of technologies old and new results in a uniquely speculative and philosophical novel.' * Words Without Borders *
'Sustains its ghostly, ethereal tone and will be appreciated by readers looking for a mind-bending puzzle.' * Publishers Weekly *
'A novel that repays careful reading for some brilliant set-pieces, for its believably flawed characters, and for its bone-dry, even cynical, wit.' * SFX *
'One of the biggest emerging literary talents in Central and Eastern Europe.' * European Union Prize for Literature News *
'A dizzying reading experience... Like a breakneck surf session that keeps you glued to the screen until the early hours...with an unusually addictive mix of styles, tones, perspectives and meaning.' * Bruzz *
'Three worlds, each with their distinct atmosphere, ranging from highly technological to the domestic, bring into being different languages that do not lack the feeling of alienation or nascent activism. Frelih sovereignly handles this second order of speech, his alienation is charged less by the librarian style of the erudite part of metafiction than with the density and intensity of poetic speech, in place of authorial narration we are submerged in fragments that, with their forcefulness, shine through and reflect the fates of individuals.' * EU Prize for Literature Jury *
'In/Half is an overwhelming vision of the future...and shows an exceptional writer at work.' * De Standaard *
'Frelih writes with a mature style, covering a wide range of themes linked to contemporary society, emphasising the grotesque and the fabular in an almost Kafka-esque style. The tone is by turns poetic, satirical, ironic and apocalyptic, finally moving towards surreal chaos. It is this style that makes Frelih's novel exceptional.' * iLiteratura.cz *
'Mature, structurally varied, rich in content and stylistically accomplished... Frelih's first novel offers a decisive, yet unobtrusive sense of engagement, prompted by the recognition that the world of the third millennium is out of joint and the awareness of how hard it is to pinpoint that first, unequivocal mistake which sent humanity down a blind alley. We are haunted by a state of inevitability and searching for shelter - compassion - which does not come. Frelih doesn't beautify the world, he just sets it square in his sight, sharpens it, dissecting the patterns of evil within it.' * Pogledi *
'Appealing and intriguing.' * Complete Review *
