Clumsy

“When I saw the missing person report, I realized it was too late. I knew that swollen face even without its name - those squinted eyes and that strange smile - that tired face trying to say 'Everything's okay' when it was obvious that nothing was right - that face looking at me with eyes that were hopeless, if not hostile - that face withdrawn into an unreachable place saying 'You can't do anything' ' the look that says. That day I realized that I really couldn't do anything. In the photo, she was wearing a white cardigan with large loops - the scarf around her neck was hanging over her blouse - an inappropriate outfit - not the clothes of an eight-year-old child - the clothes of an adult, but above all - she had that strange stance, her arms crossed in a strange way, as if she was trying to give herself a different air. The photo reminded me of that poignant state of his, trying to look like he was fine even though he was hurting everywhere. Although his pain was evident in his clumsy movements and tense arms and legs, it was immediately obvious that something inside him was shattered.” The novel, which was written based on a real event that took place in France, reveals the devastating consequences of unquestioning attribution of sanctity to the family institution in a simple and shocking narrative.