Lapis is a tale that contemplates the power of language. A single word, written or spoken, can deeply affect us — bringing joy and a soaring spirit or disappointment and sorrow. The words we use to shape our reality and give life to our stories are at the heart of this magical book.
It weaves together two narrative threads set in the mythical city of Lapis. Readers get to know Tobias, a local architect, and his wife Elizabeth. He gets wrapped up in a political conspiracy and war… suddenly, the action of the story is interrupted, and the reader is transported fifty years into the future. We meet Irena, a resolute 12-year-old girl who is the daughter of a local art conservator responsible for restoring the frescos in the local library. One day the girl hears whispers coming from below the floorboards in the library and this leads her to the discovery of the city’s secrets — and the story of Tobias and Elizabeth. She embarks on a treasure hunt that provides answers to all the mysteries arising at the start of the book — revealing, for instance, the nature of the monster living below Lapis and the reason why there is a lighthouse in a city with no sea. The subtle illustrations are the perfect complement to this suspenseful tale of mystery.
Małgorzata Swędrowska, translated by Charles Kraszewski
