Into Darkness

A lonely woman obsessively gathers healing herbs, her unusual passion gradually consuming her. Like a fever dream, the story unfolds in a poetic, evocative style. The heroine’s obsession draws her into a distorted inner world, where the scent and rustling of herb-filled sacks exert a fatal allure. Perhaps it is a family legacy that once claimed her grandmother, or perhaps it is simply the end of June, the busiest time of year for herb collectors. Beneath the slow, calm narration, a strange unease simmers. Anna Bolavá masterfully transforms an innocent pastime into a profound existential metaphor. With a refined style in which every word feels carefully chosen, the novel draws us deeper with each chapter—into the primal Earth, into the obsessive act of collecting healing herbs.

Published in 2015 by Odeon Publishers in the Czech Republic.
232 pages / 13,5 × 20,7 cm

ALso by Anna Bolavá