FOREIGN RIGHTS
A book of many themes with no one storyline that can be summarized in just a few words. The many twists and turns include stories of unearthly silver-maned Arabian horses, a house elf who can take on human form once in a hundred years and grant three wishes, a poor girl who falls in love with the son and heir to the manor who are then separated by war but come together years later, a herbalist and her magical tea, talking cats, two old fuddy-duddies, children from an orphanage who find their home in Goldsville, and many more magical touches and moments. You might imagine this world, this atmosphere, a little like the novel ‘Chocolate’, but in Goldsville only good people live, while the bad ones live in Dumptown.
Marek Emanuel Snarski, a resolute thirteen-year-old, doesn’t want to be a child anymore. He yearns to embark on a new stage in life – wouldn’t it be great to become an adult all in one go? This proves to be no easy task, so the boy decides to get himself some help. He starts by writing a blog. Then, from a mysterious magician he meets on the Internet, he buys some special adult pills. Unfortunately, the problems don’t go away; quite the contrary – they grow to monstrous proportions. A coming-of-age novel full of adventures. A wise message lies behind the fast action and humour. It is not about being an adult, but about being mature. Mark’s troubles only cease when he stops selfishly viewing the world as if it revolved around his bellybutton – when he observes that other people also need a little help and understanding sometimes.
A young man has something to sort out in his hometown. Unexpectedly, he stays overnight with someone from high school he didn’t use to get on with. They spend the long hours until dawn in dramatic conversation. They return to their school years that were marked by the shadow of tragedy: a mate of their named Maciek, rejected by the class and bullied, committed suicide. He was the only student to stand up to the omnipotent class tutor, known as the Queen Mother. The others more or less obediently tried to fulfil her ambitions to create the best class. She broke the kids down, bribed them, maintained an army of spies – to achieve her objective whatever the cost. The whole town was afraid of her. The exceptions were Maciek and an English teacher, adored by the students, a lady who respected and understood them, and who also lost in a confrontation with the Queen Mother. It turns out that the disliked classmate, currently working in a corporation, also has memories of those years. They relive old emotions; new facts come to light and secrets are revealed. The classmate confesses that Maciek had a crush on him.