Contemporary Fiction — The Book Roads

Four Minutes

Nataliya Deleva

Four Minutes explores the lives of people who exist on the margins of society in post-communist Bulgaria, focusing on loneliness, trauma, and the struggle to be seen and understood. At its centre is Leah, a woman who grew up in an orphanage marked by neglect and abuse. Now in her thirties, she continues to grapple with the wounds of her childhood while trying to build a meaningful life. When she volunteers at an orphanage, she forms a bond with Dara, a nine-year-old girl who has stopped speaking following her father’s murder. Leah hopes to adopt her, but prejudice and bureaucracy stand in her way. Interwoven with Leah’s story are nine shorter portraits of other marginalised people, including Roma women and children, refugees, and survivors of abuse. Each section is designed to be read in approximately four minutes, reflecting the idea that a brief moment of genuine attention can foster empathy. Through these interconnected stories, Nataliya Deleva examines abandonment, exclusion, and the human need for connection, asking what it takes to truly see another person.

Bulgaria 2017