Underground Barbie

In Kolanović’s (Croatian studies, Univ. of Zagreb; Dear Pests and Other Chilling Stories) latest novel, war limits residents to the damp basement of a Sloboština housing block in Zagreb, Croatia. But that doesn’t stop Barbie from living her fantastical life. Crystal Barbie, Day-to-Night Barbie, and Tropical Barbie join Ana M.’s Ken and Dea’s Barbie on grand adventures with the grotesque knockoff Ken, known as Dr. Kajfeš and mauled into notoriety by Svjetlana’s baby cousin. The Barbies play out dream weddings and refugee balls. They also investigate the mass grave of the mistresses of Ana M.’s Ken. This book effortlessly weaves real-world events into the kaleidoscope of adventures the Sloboština Barbies play out between music lessons and air raid sirens. From the many stories of the myriad Barbies, both real and fake, made up about snowy ski resorts and Caribbean beaches, this novel ultimately tells a single story about what childhood looks like in a war zone. It brilliantly illustrates a bloody war through the imaginative eyes of children and their prized dolls.