This is a story of confronting reality, how to forgive, and be forgiven, reclaiming life and rediscovering the soul's song. On every mountain a melody can be heard, each melody is unique. Even on two sides of the same mountain range, the songs will differ, they will not share the same key nor will their words share the same history. Raw and emotive, Jelena's debut novel sweeps you up and transports you to a world rarely spoken about but with stories and details that are totally relatable. A great read. - Marijana Rudan former SBS Television presenter 1980. Pero is a Croatian immigrant, father, husband, philanderer, who drinks too much and gambles the family's income. No longer a brilliant musician he now plays only for himself in his cellar of his house deep in the suburbs of Western Sydney with a bottle of rajika within arm's reach. When Yugoslavia's President Tito dies and his mother's health fails, Pero feels he must return 'home'. He touches down in Zagreb to one of the country's most bitter winters. Traversing villages and cities hushed by the communist regime, Pero is compelled to face a past that he has tried to forget. His father won't talk to him, he can't find the best friend he betrayed. He feels the scars of the people living with the memory of dictatorship, Croatian nationalism, and years of deprivation ? From the publisher: From the opening pages Jelena wove the reconciliation of family legacy, history and culture that lies at the heart of the novel with such deftness and profound humanity, humour and empathy that made me fall in love with it the novel. It is the story of reclaiming life and heritage, how to belong, how to live, in two countries at once. Isn't that we are all doing living in one of the world's most multi-cultural societies? AUTHOR: Jelena Curic is a writer of literary fiction, crime and comedy. Along with writing novels, short stories and comedy pieces, she is also the resident Diva in the Croatian community singing most weekends. Her stories can be found in Bad Western Sydney and Bad Western Sydney. The Second Case, Living Stories The Other City, Short Stories Unlimited Leaving Home Anthology and she was short-listed for the Born Writers Award 2023 and 2024. Sing to Me is her debut novel.
