Zsolt Bernáth: Lemezbolt a Szent János utcában (Record Store at St. John Street*) (Cerkabella Könyvkiadó 2021)
Many thanks to Cerkabella Könyvkiadó for sending me the book!
Zsolt Bernáth is known as a film director and writer also. His work is very diverse: he is one of the prominent representatives of Hungarian independent film, but he has also worked as a journalist and editor, and has written many short stories, poems, tales and essays. The Record Shop at St. John Street is his first middle grade novel.
Our protagonist, Orsi, is spending a not-so-exciting summer in Malta, as his historian father is studying the history of the Order of Malta in the Valletta Library, while his mother works as an assistant director at a theater in Budapest. The two obsessed parents don’t have much time left for the little girl. One night, Orsi meets Joel, a local boy, who invites her to see a ghost lurking nearby…
I can say nothing else about the plot, as a fantastic mystery is beginning to take shape at the very beginning of the book. The vibe of the book reminded me of the summer breaks of my primary school age: the sunshine, the summer, and a series on TV, which I also can’t mention, as it would also tell something about the story. It is a very exciting, lovely story in which we can learn a lot about Malta as well. And if you’re curious about the secrets of the world’s oldest record store, you need to read the book!
*my translation
