Dół

This book by Artur Gębka, the renowned psychotherapist and prodigy of Polish children’s literature, presents an extremely moving yet subtle story about a young person’s experience of a mental health crisis, a state from which there appears to be no escape. The Pit neither moralises nor oversimplifies, and thus, in a very delicate and professional way, it addresses a topic that is an urgent challenge for humanity as a whole. The strength of this book lies in the simplicity of the metaphor and the universality of the experience – after all, the pit into which the main character’s sister is sinking can affect anyone, at any age, in any culture. Furthermore – crucially, perhaps, given the subject – The Pit is a synthesis of what is most important: truth and hope. Indeed, Artur Gębka, carefully choosing words that combine the communicative daily reality of a child with a layer of metaphor, builds a story that leads the reader through an emotional landscape, from helplessness to the gradual regaining of light. Agata Dudek, meanwhile, using space, silence and colour, creates a fantastic, sensual complement to the story, which is both an opening and a beginning for everyone who reads it.

This is a title with enormous international potential: not only extremely topical, but also incredibly necessary, offering an opportunity for understanding, conversation, and help in emerging from any pit in which a person might find themselves.