The Second Law of Thermodynamics

V.B.Z., 2021, 162 pages

Translation rights sold: Bosnia & Herzegovina (Buybook), Germany (Folio Verlag), North Macedonia (Goten Publishing)

The Second Law of Thermodynamics follows a group of writers and their friends, gathered at a dinner party in honor of the special guest, the celebrated American author Jonathan Franzen. In the course of the tumultuous evening, each of them has to share an intimate story, something personal and traumatic never told anyone. The initial narrative cadre is a drunken party, that at the same time works as a therapy session and a confessional, during which we’re presented with a number of inconceivable yet realistic personal admissions. The Second Law of Thermodynamics corresponds with Murphy’s law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong. But this time, it’s not the laws of physics or society that went awry, it’s human lives.

Glamuzina is a master of the scene and dialogue; the narrative style is in many ways close to drama. Not only because the plot unravels in a single space, or because the narrative is structured mostly through dialogues and monologues, but because of every character’s internal conflict. The author dissects the lives of his protagonists sharply and to the bone. In a single sway and a highly plausible manner, from comical to incredible, from tragic to transcendental, we gain insight into the fundamental secrets of mankind.