Serbian NIN Award finalist, now in English
With literary shades of Bukowski and Kerouak, this acclaimed novel paints a memorable picture of one woman's multifaceted, contemporary life in Novi Sad, Serbia - or as the author puts it, "a Valley of Lunatics, a thousand and a half kilometers on the right bank of the Danube." Taking the form of a 198-page letter to "James," an idealized literary mentor whom she looks to for inspiration, guidance and, ultimately, escape, protagonist Natasha provides witty, memorable dialog and strong character portraits of the people who pass through her everyday existence. In doing so she wryly observes the highs, lows and constant ironies of the family life and relationships that will resonate with audiences everywhere. With a voice that is deeply perceptive and entertaining, she elevates everyday experiences to high comedy and deep irony - but always filled with love and hopefulness. In A Stone in the Shoe, readers can recognize their own world.
"Natasha Jocic touches our human themes with her beautiful metaphors, everyday life, care, joy, sadness and love." - Rade Serbedzija, globally acclaimed film and television actor
A rebel with a cause, Natasha Jocic writes clearly, directly, spontaneously, sparing neither herself nor others. She writes about life itself, but with a lot of humor -directly from the heart." - Slobodan Tisma, writer, musician, winner of Serbia's NIN literary award for Bernardijeva Soba
"Natasha Jocic unpretentiously and often wittily weaves her novel as an interesting and casual fabric, in whose short episodes we will recognize our own world. Like life itself, the book ends in dark tones. You will spend several compelling reading hours with this." - Vasa Pavkovic, Serbian writer and literary critic.
"A Stone in the Shoe is a kind of diary of a young woman, a curious girl and then a caring mother, who does not put up with the nonsense of everyday life but is constantly looking for her star. The novel offers skillfully nuanced characters set amid the life of a city in which I myself live - fast and unpredictable; a treasure trove of diversity." - Pero Zubac, Serbian writer, poet, screenwriter
