She Who Remains

(Остайница)

,
(1 review)

High in the Accursed Mountains, in a village ruled by the ancient laws of the Kanun, Bekja escapes an arranged marriage by becoming a sworn virgin, renouncing her womanhood to live as a man. Her decision sets off a brutal chain of events, destroying her family and separating her from the one she loves the most. Years later, as Bekija – now Matija – tells their story to a visiting journalist, long-buried truths come to light, along with the realisation of all that might have been.

eBook, 150 pages

Published Jan. 27, 2026

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ISBN:
978-953-351-574-8
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Subjects
  • Fiction
  • Bulgaria
  • LGBT
  • Queer

Reviews

reviewed She Who Remains by Rene Karabash

This was full of surprises. Just the historical details of Kanun, Albanian blood feuds and sworn virgins were completely new to me. The same story is told and retold in completely different ways depending on the cultural role she has to embody at the time. The dialogue and interior voice are unpunctuated sentences that fluidly move between speakers without pausing to indicate changes.

My near constant confusion about what is happening situates me in Bekija/Matija's own complicated life but it also creates a distance. I didn't get the emotional connection I would have liked.