Alice returns from her death to act as witness and participant in Prague's tumultuous history from its foundation to 1989. History's losers return to watch the victors enjoy and lose their spoils. An unusual quest for self, for one's place in life, and in the world, a world that is embodied in Prague.

The award-winning novel by Czech author Katerina Tuckova-her first to be translated into English-about the fate of one woman and the pursuit of forgiveness in a divided postwar world. 1945. Allied forces liberate Nazi-occupied Brno, Moravia. For Gerta Schnirch, daughter of a Czech mother and a German father aligned with Hitler, it's not deliverance; it's a sentence. She has been branded an enemy of the state. Caught in the changing tides of a war that shattered her family-and her innocence-Gerta must obey the official order: she, along with all ethnic Germans, is to be expelled from Czechoslovakia. With nothing but the clothes on her back and an infant daughter, she's herded among thousands, driven from the only home she's ever known. But the injustice only makes Gerta stronger, more empowered, and more resolved to seek justice. Her journey is a relentless quest for a seemingly impossible forgiveness. And one day, she will return. Spanning decades and generations, Katerina Tuckova's breathtaking novel illuminates a long-neglected episode in Czech history. One of exclusion and prejudice, of collective shame versus personal guilt, all through the eyes of a charismatic woman whose courage will affect all the lives she's touched. Especially that of the daughter she loved, fought for, shielded, and would come to inspire.

Daniela Hodrova shares her unique perception of Prague, through playful poetic prose, and by imaginatively blending historical and cultural motifs with autobiographical moments. A Kingdom of Souls is the first volume of this author's literary journey - an unusual quest for self, for one's place in life and in the world; a world that for Hodrova is embodied in Prague. Translated by Veronique Firkusny and Elena Sokol.