International Booker Shortlist 2026 | Morgan Recommends... She Who Remains - Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel

Morgan says... Karabash transports you to an isolated Albania where tradition, tragedy and truth collide. In a narrative style that demands your attention She Who Remains will captivate you as well as toy with your heart. Fantastic and shocking in the best sense!

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High in the Accursed Mountains, in a village ruled by the ancient laws of the Kanun, Bekija 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 realization of all that might have been.