Ostaĭnit︠s︡a

Originally published in Bulgarian as Ostaĭnitsa in 2018, this novel by Rene Karabash appears in English as She Who Remains, translated by Izidora Angel. Set among the Albanian mountains, it follows Bekija, a young woman who invokes the Kanun — the traditional Albanian code of law — to become a "sworn virgin": a lifelong vow of chastity that lets her live with the rights and standing of a man rather than be forced into an arranged marriage. She takes the name Matija and steps into the role of a son.

The novel unfolds as a family is drawn into a blood feud governed by the same Kanun that granted Bekija her escape, one that has long outlived its legal standing but still governs life in these villages. Written in an unbroken, largely unpunctuated stream of consciousness that moves between past and present, the novel was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.