City, Sister, Silver
Winner of the Egon Hostovský Prize as Czech book of the year when it was originally published in 1994, this epic novel powerfully captures the sense of dislocation that followed the Czechs' newfound freedom in 1989. More than just the story of its young protagonist--who is part businessman, part gang member, part drifter--it is a novel that includes terrifying dream scenes, Czech and Native American legends, a nightmarish East European flea market, comic scenes about the literary world, and an oddly tender story of the love between the protagonist and his spiritual sister.