Medusas

A penetrating psychological novel about the end of friendship, guilt and chronic pain

Having arrived at her best friend’s apartment to discover a pool of blood on the floor, the novel’s narrator does something unexpected. Rather than reporting the gruesome discovery and looking for her friend, she prepares a statement for others who should investigate the mysterious disappearance.

At the same time, she feels the pain in her stomach that doctors have long been unable to explain. This time, it is stronger and accompanied by a strange burning and throbbing, prompting questions of what connects the two women perhaps more than they would wish.

Jakub Stanjura’s second novel tells of the most extreme social taboos. Medusas do more than just provoke. Like the water in which medusas thrive, it reveals all sorts of things: some beautiful and fascinating; others repulsive, monstrous and unspeakable – and not at all easy to face.

‘For me, medusas embody misunderstanding ,’ says the author. ‘We perceive them as creatures that do harm. Yet we are forever harming them by threatening their safety and violating their home. The actual danger is often not understood.’