Slanting Towards the Sea: A Novel [Hardcover]

National Bestseller *DazedBest Book of the Year

Spanning twenty years and one life-altering summer in Croatia,Slanting Towards the Seais at once an unforgettable love story and a powerful exploration of what it means to come of age in a country younger than oneself.

Ivona divorced the love of her life, Vlaho, a decade ago. They met as students at the turn of the millennium, when newly democratic Croatia was alive with hope and promise. But the challenges of living in a burgeoning country extinguished Ivona’s dreams one after another—and a devastating secret forced her to set him free.

Now Vlaho is remarried and a proud father of two, while Ivona’s life has taken a downward turn. In her thirties, she has returned to her childhood home to care for her ailing father. Bewildered by life’s disappointments, she finds solace in reconnecting with Vlaho and is welcomed into his family by his spirited wife, Marina. But when a new man enters Ivona’s life, the carefully cultivated dynamic between the three is disrupted, forcing a reckoning for all involved.

Set against the mesmerizing Croatian coastline,Slanting Towards the Seais a cinematic, emotionally searing debut about the fragile nature of potential and the transcendence of love.Lidija Hilje is a Croatian novelist and certified book coach. Her writing has appeared inThe New York Timesand other outlets. After ten years of trying cases before Croatian courts, she obtained a book coaching certification and has been working professionally with writers ever since. She lives in Zadar, Croatia, with her husband and two daughters.Slanting Towards the Seais her first novel.Chapter One

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