When the Dust Settles (novel)

When the Dust Settles is a 2023 Macedonian novel by Jasmina Atanasova.

Style
The debut appearance of this novel is more than an external formality, as through the stylistic and narrative procedures and artistic principles, it presents itself as a mature, serious, deliberate work that moves through the global literary genesis with a highly specific authorial and original approach. This is evident not only in the quoted intonations of each chapter but also through the entire compositional structure, transforming and synthesizing the literary stylistic universe. It employs a distinctive postmodernist procedure, exceptionally relevant to today's global literary scene.

It is written in the first person, by a female narrator who is simultaneously the character through which the entire narrative principle is reflected. The novel follows the procedure of the state of consciousness according to the principles of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, not in a comparative or inspirational sense, but as a kind of "dialectical" branching, which is a serious contribution and stake in the development and enrichment of Macedonian contemporary literature.

The specificity of this novel lies in its fluid, clear narrative that is dynamic and harmoniously balanced. The skill to synthesize the stream of consciousness through a subtle and unobtrusive principle, along with the "traditional" stylistically rhythmic narrative approach of Isaac Bashevis Singer, makes this novel particularly bold in the successful attempt to merge traditional narrative "architecture" with contemporary currents in internal literary expressions moving simultaneously in multiple directions.

Reception
According to Dr. Slavica Gadzova Sviderska, "Atanasova writes about women with a capital 'W,' constantly placed in front of struggles, challenges, and daily self-sacrifices on the societal altar. These women continually find strength from a mysterious source to stand on their feet again and resist the entrenched taboos and stereotyped forms of living ."

Darko Leshoski wrote, "Everyone wants to be themselves, but rarely anyone can be because they have to conform to their mom, to their dad, to the children, what people will say, what I will say to myself if I fail — but rarely does anyone have the strength to truly be themselves. Jasmina bravely but vulnerably describes that battle. Everyone's life happiness, and life span are proportionate to their courage. "It is courageous is to be happy."