Hanna M. has no illusions about herself.
Not that she’s forever young, or that
everything in her life has worked out

knows what she can expect from fate.
With adult children and a loving second
husband, it seems the autumn of her life,
in contrast to its previous seasons, will
bring peaceful contentment. Hanna, after
all, has yet to lose her ability to delight
in life’s little pleasures, to be dazzled
by the world. Moreover, the passions of
the past years have returned with double
the force, and the path she had drawn
for herself turns out to have many more
twists than she once thought. Everything
starts to get tangled up, until the moment
arrives when she must tell herself:

“Sometimes when instead of our hearts we
follow reason, we end up saving the heart”.
Will she be able to tame her weaknesses
and uncover her true, mature self?
“The Finalist is a profound, dense novel,
carefully planned and brilliantly written”.
Olga Wróble, KSIAŻKI. Magazyn do
czytania

“A dazzling book, sparkling with hidden
gems”.
Agnieszka Freus, Angora

“The Finalist is a book about dealing with
the fear of passing, accepting changes
one hates, through laughter, joking, and
a sense of distance. This Hanka is easy to
like and befriend”.
Sylwia Góra, Kultura Liberalna

“The weight of the subjects Anna Janko
broaches in The Finalist stylistically
balances off the light «diary» format. Wit
and intelligence brighten the narrator’s
sadness, or rather, her unhappy surprise
that old age has crept up with no warning”.
Marcin Kube, Rzeczpospolita

Target Market
Fans of romance novels in translation.
Readers of ambitious prose about women
and femininity.