Pol Guasch wrote Napalm in the Heart when he was only 20 years old. Originally published in Catalan in 2021, the novel makes its way to the UK’s shores via Faber and a lyrical translation by Mara Faye Lethem. Focusing on a young man living under a military occupation, the novel is made up of short, succinct passages of poetic prose that cut straight to the heart of every thought and emotion. Guasch is an acclaimed poet in his native Catalonia, so his sharp style makes sense. There is simply no room for fat in the prose.
The result is a beautiful and affecting debut novel that often finds moments of beauty in a setting so wholly devoid of it. More than once, I found myself recalling Justin Torres’s excellent novel Blackouts, which also takes a successfully stylish approach to immensely bleak material. Having already found fans in Colm Tóibín and Alejandro Zambra, it’s hard not to imagine Guasch becoming a young superstar of the international scene.
Napalm in the Heart by Pol Guasch, translated by Mara Faye Lethem, is out now (Faber, £16.99). You can buy it from The Big Issue shop on Bookshop.org, which helps to support The Big Issue and independent bookshops.
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