Verbrannte Sonne

The voice that carries the novel speaks from Leila's diary. The young woman came to Italy to study design, but she was forced into prostitution. After three years, she returns home dead in a coffin on the ferry with her father. Her fate brings together the many intersecting stories: hers, those of Soraja, Elena, Laura, and all the other girls united by the same fate. Elvira Dones has written a raw and insightful novel about the Albanian mafia and human trafficking, making it clear that there is nothing to romanticize. It tells of a society overwhelmed by change, of dreams crumbling on the sidewalks of Europe, of fates where every small detail is significant, of the ruthless struggle for money, of the cruel exploitation of women, of boundless violence, the extinction of any ethical action, and of small islands of love and self-empowerment. In Albania, "Burnt Sun" has sparked intense discussions.