Milica Stankovic enters the world with a wail that refuses to quiet, setting off a chain reaction of hardship for her family. Ostracized by neighbors and facing professional setbacks, her parents nevertheless recognize something extraordinary in their daughter: an uncanny ability to absorb and reflect the pain of others. This gift, both a blessing and a curse, shapes Milica’s life in unexpected ways.

When Milica’s father befriends a cunning swindler, the two concoct a plan to turn her emotional sensitivity into a livelihood. Hired out as a professional mourner, Milica attends funerals and channels such authentic sorrow that she moves entire rooms to tears, helping mourners release pent-up grief—sometimes for people who may not have earned such compassion.

Milica’s reputation soon catches the attention of Dušan Srna, a high-ranking government official. With the nation’s leader gravely ill and public morale at a low point, Srna sees an opportunity. He hopes that Milica’s extraordinary mourning at a state funeral might unite and uplift the country. But as the political stakes rise, questions linger about Srna’s true intentions and whether Milica’s gift will be used for healing or manipulation.

This novel is a moving exploration of empathy, exploitation, and the politics of collective emotion. Through Milica’s journey, the story probes the boundaries between personal pain and public spectacle, asking whether true healing is possible in a world so eager to commodify grief. With rich characterization and a quietly unsettling atmosphere, the book offers a fresh perspective on the burdens and blessings of emotional sensitivity.

In a Nutshell: A literary drama about a young girl with an extraordinary ability and some humans with a limited moral compass. An original storyline, character-driven, whimsical and thought-provoking. Offers the fine balance between comedy and tragedy. Recommended if you are looking for something unusual and introspective.

Plot Preview:
Right from the moment Milica Stankovic was born, she wouldn’t stop crying. No matter what her parents tried, Milica kept yelling her lungs out, much to the annoyance of the neighbours and other townspeople. Her parents are loving and supportive, and never stop doing their best for their only daughter, whose sobs dwindle but never cease as the years go by. When circumstances go beyond their control, Milica’s father gets coerced into using her as a ‘professional mourner’, ensuring that her wails help other attendees at funerals release their grief. So successful is this endeavour that Milica’s fame soon reaches the higher echelons of government. But not for the right reasons.
The story comes to us via an unidentified omniscient narrator.

Isn't it great when books surprise you? Even when reading the synopsis of this story, I felt that this was a highly original story, one unlike anything I had read before. The actual content went further beyond my expectations, both in terms of plot as well as characters. Had it not been for the slightly weaker second half, this book might have earned all the stars.

Bookish Yays:
😍 The unusual concept. A child who doesn’t stop crying grows to be a mourner. Amazing!
😍 The tragicomedy feels. Erma Bombeck once said, “There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humour and hurt.” This book lies on that thin line, especially in the first half when situations lead to contrary feelings, with both laughter and shock popping up at once.
😍 Milica, the main character, who seems to live life on her own terms even when she is subservient to others’ wishes. She stays an enigma throughout.
😍 Dragan and Nevena Stankovic – Milica’s parents. I would have expected the plot to portray them a certain way: perhaps angry, frustrated, maybe even physically or verbally abusive. But they defied all my guesses. It was interesting to see their parenting style, though it wasn’t always a salutary one.
😍 The greyness of all the characters except Milica. Almost every characters has enough shadiness in them, even though only a few are outright abhorrent. To readers who enjoy challenging character portrayals, this novel offers a smorgasbord of human behaviour and emotions to analyse.
😍 Thanks to the above, I often found myself wondering what I would have done if I were in a character’s situation. The book offered many such thought-provoking moments.
😍 Quite a few quotable quotes and observations on human behaviour.
😍 Many characters and events come with a religious undertone, even though the story is not religious in the true sense. A good portrayal of how people use organised religion to justify their (mis)endeavours.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🤔 The omniscient narration. I liked most of it, as it cleverly offered a holistic picture of all the characters and the events even beyond current time. The writing style is very raconteurial without breaking the fourth wall, almost like someone narrating a story to a live audience. However, at times, the foreshadowing goes a bit too far, and the telling overpowers the showing.
🤔 The pacing is mostly steady throughout, but the plot gets a bit repetitive in between. The tempo helped me continue without hurdles, but I did get a lot of déjà vu feels during some scenes. The final quarter felt a bit dragged, but the ending saved my overall rating from dipping.

Bookish Nays:
😒 The vague time and place setting. Except for the mention of the place (Velika Plana, which, according to Google, is a small town in Serbia), there’s no description about the location, nor is there any atmosphere except for the clearly socialist vibe (which gets too heavyhanded at times.) Further, even the timeframe isn’t clear, with the story having a mix of modern screens as well as steamboats. The passage of time also doesn’t come out clearly every time, making Milica’s exact age unclear. Though these are minor content gaps, they still would have added to my experience.

All in all, I can honestly say that I haven’t read a story like this ever before. It walks the fine line between comedy and tragedy, with characters you wouldn't know whether to forgive or fume at. The final quarter could have worked better for me, but I still enjoyed the overall reading experience as I was an active participant in the story thanks to the narrative choice and the moral ambiguity of the characters.
Definitely recommended, but not to all. This small-press work would be a great option for readers who enjoy character-driven storytelling and questionable human behaviour. Not for those who prefer likeable characters.

3.75 stars.

i was really interested in the concept of this. it felt like a debate topic and one i could unpick via this book as we went along. i knew all the reason i thought this was wrong. from the very base level of using their child! its no go no way no how situation.
but then watching what happens next was really interesting. and seemingly my anger grew because even from that very first moment of choosing to use their child to then it even continuing and what happening next being even thought about seemed to me like so many people affected by greed, that "where is the child in all of this". the way children just become usable items for others gains is something ive been coming across more and more in today culture. most notably online with influencers and the like. this seemed almost branch of that. was it ever a case that this gorgeous child could help others, which would still be questionable to actually put the child through this? or was it going to give great gain to the parents and then others to use the child for their "gifts". there is such a feeling of unease in that.
well, we can see the book did make me think!