This Room Is Impossible to Eat

You put your arms around me in front of my father.

Your daughter is very special.

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Tereza and Ivan share secrets. Tereza is now in art school away from the town where she grew up. Ivan is a teacher and artist. Tereza is now nineteen, Ivan is fifty-seven. They have known each other for years.

Tereza shares her secrets with her friend Silvia. Ivan does not tell anyone. He constructs memories of Tereza to keep in his bed at night, covering them with sweat and tears.

In this minimalist, poetic novella with autobiographical elements Nicol Hochholczerová weaves a story of obsession and power and how both can lead to damage and separation. Rich with symbolism, its explosive themes – of eating disorders, abusive control and family dysfunction – are delicately handled with honesty and intelligence.

Nicol Hochholczerová's first novel is a controversial best-seller. It has been awarded prizes and is being widely translated across Europe.