Greek / Greece
To museio tōn apoxēramenōn synaisthēmatōn
(The museum of dried up feelings)
Kukias, Thodōrēs
(Kukias, Thodoris)
(text)
Athēna: Kedros, 2016. – 270 p.
(Series: Big Bang Books)
ISBN 978-960-04-4750-7
Outsider | Identity | Self-esteem | Diversity
Reading age: 15+
White Ravens issue: 2017
Nefeli tries to come to terms with her parents’ separation and their move to the country. She meets Antela at her new school, whose mother is stigmatized as “indecent” in the town, and Ion, who is autistic and lives with Asperger Syndrome. Together, the three outsiders cut a course through a jungle of ostracization and depression until they find recognition and heal themselves emotionally. A second story unfolds parallel to this plot, wherein the office equipment at the dull workplace of Nefeli’s mother come alive and, in their own society, allegorically mirror human diversity. So, for instance, an A4-sized piece of paper faces discrimination, but in Nefeli’s hands, it helps her realize its dreams. In his novel, Thodoris Koukias peers into the souls of his young protagonists in a non-pedantic, compelling way. He animates readers to stand by their dreams and abilities.