Pod oba sunca

Bato became a lighthouse keeper because he did not want to join the aggression on the Dubrovnik coast. Danica, in her imposed solitude, mourns her infertility. One summer, Nevena and Mitar, a couple in a midlife crisis, pitch a tent in front of the lighthouse. A dinner together will change everything in their lives. Under Both Suns, a novel told through the voices of four protagonists, is a story about the circle of life that we draw ourselves and our attempts to step out of that circle. Ognjen Spahić once again demonstrates the full scope of his narrative talent and enviable ability to create powerful, memorable characters deeply colored by local history. Under Both Suns is a novel about people in the shackles of their own decisions from which they can never free themselves. "I love my Bat. It's not that I don't love him. I don't hate him. He doesn't hate me either. It was a long time ago when we loved each other at the same time. Now it's different. He loves me while I'm treating him drunk in bed, dressing his wounds and putting cold compresses on his forehead. I love him while I watch him sleep. His face rearranges itself. Everything falls into place. His eyebrows straighten, and his lips part and reveal his teeth. He almost smiles like that. I wait for his heart to calm down. Then I fall asleep too. Awake, wide awake, in this evil house... Then everything is different. Sometimes it seems like we're both acting, hiding from the walls what we were to each other. Because if there were no traces of mutual love, I would have slit the poor thing's throat long ago. Me for him or him for me. For twenty-seven years I've been waiting for him to strike, to crush me with a hammer, break my teeth and bruise my ribs. He swings here and there, in vain. He charges like a boar. He roars, curses, insults, "Do your thing and retire on your own."