First published 2024
Kapka Kassabova arrives to live among one of Europe's final communities of moving pastoralists for an entire summer. She witnesses the massive seasonal migration called transhumance, where vast sheep herds move across the Balkan landscape accompanied by shepherds and their dogs. The work demands constant sacrifice. The isolation cuts deep. Yet the beauty and intensity of this ancient way of life pulls her further into the community's complex relationships. As Kassabova learns the region's layered history, she discovers how completely humans and animals depend on each other here. The shepherds' existence reveals both the brutality and grace of pastoral life. Through her immersion in this remarkable place, Kassabova confronts what modern life has lost and imagines how we might repair our severed connection to the natural world.
Genres: animals, adventure, anthropology, biography-memoir
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Balkans, Europe
Period: 21st-century
384 pages · Hardcover · Vintage Publishing