A novel, 170 pages
Mislav, a slightly mentally-impaired young man of twenty, with the intelligence of a ten-year-old, is the hero of this novel. After 15 years spent in various institutions, the young man returns to his village family. His arrival is a shock for their neighbours. His younger brother and sister had not even known that they had a brother because their parents had kept it a secret from them all their lives. Mislav has a hard time adapt- ing to the new environment and circumstances. Happily, a girl who lives nearby helps him to fit into everyday life. A warm feeling of love blossoms between them, to the horrified reaction of the girl’s father…
The novel is written in the first person as the hero’s diary, which exudes gentleness and human warmth.
Forgotten Son has gone through ten editions in Croatian.
Translated and published in English, Slovenian, Spanish, German, Japanese and Albanian.
Selected for the Ibby Honour List 2002
