April Fool's Day by Josip Novakovich

April Fool's Day by Josip Novakovich this is the short story writer and essayists first novel. Ivan Dolinar is a Croat born in 1940s Yugoslavia. After his childhood he goes into medical school. However his dream of becoming a doctor is destroyed when he makes a joke about assassinating Tito. He ends up in a labor camp. After being released he eventually joins the Yugoslav military just in time for the breakup of Yugoslavia. He ends up fighting in a Serbian unit. s Dolinar's failures in various relationships often serve as a backdrop to the wider narrative.

The one major false note is after the war he ends up marrying a woman he had raped. This leads to a rather tasteless discussion about the definition of rape. I'm not too sure what to make of that. Besides that. there are quite a few jokes. The humor is situational and actually quite funny.

I'll be looking for Novakovich's short story and essay collections. I'd also consider taking a look at any future novels he produces.

Recommended with the "rape debate" caveat.

Is available through Abebooks.