Sexual and domestic violence through the prism of adolescent literature

The subject of interest in the scientific article is the novel “Bela Sama” by the Macedonian writer Violeta Tancheva-Zlateva, published in 2023. The novel has a complex structural arrangement, because the narrative follows two generations within one family and all the joyful and beautiful events that occur, both in society and in the family. Hence, the author set herself the task of speaking out about some complex problems, which were otherwise shyly discussed in the past. Such is the problem of domestic and sexual violence. Tancheva-Zlateva speaks about this issue through the character of the girl Bela and her immediate family. The paper first examines domestic violence, patriarchal understandings related to the shame of speaking out publicly about violence, and then we also address sexual violence, which exists, most often hidden. Through a descriptive analysis of individual parts of the novel, the devastating impact of violent episodes within the family on a young person will be highlighted, and the need for open discussion about these bitter problems in society will be particularly emphasized.