Set in World War II Yugoslavia, Radio Siga transmits the story of Kalman Gubica, a hard-drinking, but well-meaning, layabout who is forever changed after being struck by lightning.
Haunted by the voice of his long-dead father, Kalman struggles to find meaning in his life. Drinking more doesn't help quiet the maddening messages in his head and neither does settling down with a Russian female soldier, nor joining the resistance trying to keep at bay the Hungarian fascists and German Nazis who have occupied Yugoslavia.
Darkly funny and touching, Radio Siga reveals a facet of World War II not often encountered by English-language readers.
"Much of what stands out about Ivan Vidak's work in Radio Siga is the way that protagonist Kalman's eccentricities curdle into something more sinister as the novel progresses. It's a difficult tonal balance to pull off, but Vidak succeeds."
