Underground Barbie [TRADE PAPER ]

A darkly humorous coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Yugoslav Wars.

As air-raid sirens become commonplace, children in an apartment building escape into a world of Barbie dolls, improvising scenarios that mirror the splintering social structure of 1990s Yugoslavia. Innocence clashes with the horrors of war and the allure of Western consumerism.

Maaa Kolanovi'sUnderground Barbiedeftly captures the power of imagination to overcome hardship, offering a sharp critique of consumer culture amidst the ruins of a socialist experiment. Discover political campaigns defined by what it means to be a real Croatian, a refugee ball with disgusting dolls, and a mass grave of Kens mistresses. For readers of literary fiction, social satire, and war stories.

"A young girl survives the Croatian War of Independence while playing dolls with her friends in Kolanović’s unsettling English-language debut . . . Complementing the narrative are childlike line-drawings that are often disturbing in their naivete . . . the juxtaposition of child’s play and real-world violence is chilling. This is worth a look." —Publishers Weekly

"Charming, funny, and harrowing. Will appeal to readers of many ages, especially those who enjoy grim humor or remember the myriad adventures of their own Barbies." Starred review —Lydia Fletcher, Library Journal​

"Underground Barbie bears witness to a turbulent childhood in transition—the wonder and terror of it all, sustained by imagination."—Junyi Zhou,Asymptote Journal

"Remarkable . . . this dark and funny novel of wartime childhood will continue to find its readers.” —The Guardian

"Here’s a Barbie I can get behind! Maša Kolanović's barbed tale of growing up during the Yugoslav wars of the 90l��