White nights

Honek's distinctive English-language debut tells the story of a rural Polish village through 13 interconnected tales. The narrator of "Permission to Land" looks back on his childhood friendship with Andrzej and Pilot, the latter of whom is regularly beaten by his parents and tormented by their peers for being a "runt," and the story ends with Pilot's bizarre and tragic death. "The Little Bell," one of the strongest entries, follows a girl named Dorotka who is staying with her grandmother and the grandmother's 17-year-old dog, waiting for her mom to arrive. The story takes on an increasingly dark tone as the visit progresses. "First the Hair Caught Fire" chronicles the moments before a fire in 12-year-old Eleonora's home. "On Cemetery Hill" similarly centers on a fire, this one set by Andrezj, who burns many of his belongings before making another fateful decision. Honek is skilled at atmospheric descriptions, as when a house grows so quiet that one can hear the thumping of a cat's paws as it plays with a dead mouse. This vivid collection dances along the thin line between the living and the dead. (Feb.)