Part travelogue, part self-reflective inner journey. I am not sure about this using of place almost as a metaphor for some internal landscape of self-exploration, and self-expression, examination of inner conflict and emotions.
What make this book interesting is the setting - the border area between Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. This is an area with a very charged history, from Ottoman times, through the Balkan Wars, and into the 20th C Cold War period. Kassabova does explore some interesting places in the Rhodopes in both Greece and Bulgaria. She also explores some interesting sounding areas in the Strandzha area of Bulgaria, and also just on the other side of the border in Turkey. All places I would like to visit.
A very topical book, with all the current issues around migration, border crossing, etc. Much of it currently set in the very area she explores in the book.
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