Anna’s family emigrates in the 1980s before the changeover in Poland and settles in New York. Missing her roots and extended family, every summer Anna returns to Poland on her own and spends the holidays in her old neighbourhood where she befriends Justyna and Kamila. Together, they survive the ups and downs of puberty: jealousies, hang-ups about their developing bodies, the turbulences of first loves, budding sexualities and substance abuse. Some things go horribly wrong and one day Anna refuses to come back for another visit. Years later, another tragedy brings the three friends together again. Poland is undergoing its own transition while the young women face the new reality and try to pick up the pieces of their broken dreams. The Lullaby of Polish Girls is a fast-paced story of growing up in a migratory world.

The Lullaby of Polish Girls
by Dagmara Dominczyk
Quercus, 2013

An edited version of this book mark first published in the Cape Times on 14 November 2014.

Dagmara Dominczyk is a Polish-American actress who has appeared in the film The Count of Monte Cristo, as well as several Broadway and TV productions. She majored in Drama at Carnegie Mellon University and graduated in 1998. She is married to the actor Patrick Wilson and they live with their children in New Jersey, USA.