His First Love

What is happening with Lili, Zhurka cannot understand. "You could have figured it out on your own," she responds to a direct question. Yet earlier, she hid nothing; there were no secrets between them, both were straightforward and honest. Somehow, this mystery is connected to the silly skirts and uncomfortable shoes that Lili suddenly started wearing, but how exactly - Zhurka does not know.
The main characters, Christian Grecho, are thirteen. They feel that they are about to part with childhood, but they do not yet understand what the new teenage life will be like. Zhurka's confused monologue is an attempt to grasp both this unclear future and her feelings. The almost elusive moment, akin to the discovery of terra incognita, when girls stop being partners-friends and turn into girls that capture interest, is captured by the Hungarian writer, speaking through the voice of a boy. Or is it his own speech, personal memories? Christian Grecho does not reveal all the cards, does not separate truth from fiction, does not speak directly, but instead carefully scatters meticulously written hints. Such "detailed unsaidness" gives birth to the unique style of the book.
In his native Hungary, Christian Grecho (born in 1976) is a recognizable figure: editor of the country's main literary magazine Eletes Irodalom ("Life and Literature"), author of several popular novels and dramatic works, and a frequent guest on television. Christian Grecho has received the most prestigious literary awards in Hungary: the prizes named after S. Brody, D. Faludi, T. Deri, as well as the Attila József Prize - a mark of the highest professional recognition. A key theme for the writer is the differences between life in the big city of Budapest and the rest, predominantly rural Hungary. This theme is also present in the novel "I Am Going After You" (2014), which includes eight novellas, one of which is "His First Love".