Dorota Terakowska "Poczwarka"

Title: "Poczwarka" Author: Dorota Terakowska Year of first publication: 2001 Genre: novel Medical topic: Down syndrome Adam and Ewa are the perfect couple—educated, wealthy, and successful. The final piece to complete this wonderful picture arrives—their child is born. The long-awaited baby already has her whole life planned out. Certainly beautiful and intelligent, she will be educated at the best schools and taught the principles of good manners from an early age. The couple’s perfect life falls apart when it turns out that their newborn daughter has Down syndrome. At first, the couple is in agreement—they intend to give up their daughter. For reasons not entirely clear, Ewa decides to keep the child. Over time, though it is not easy, she learns to accept and love little Myszka. Disappointed, Adam decides to stay with the family but refuses to let his daughter near him. As he rushes through their shared home, he avoids even looking at his imperfect child. The spouses each try to cope with the difficulties caused by Myszka’s arrival. Each of them reads books about Down syndrome and tries on their own to find a way to move forward with their lives. Myszka observes the entire situation as well. She longs for her father’s affection and tries to cause her mother as little worry as possible. "Poczwarka" addresses an extremely difficult issue that an outsider would certainly find hard to understand—the presence of a sick child in the family. It depicts the parents’ various reactions to this tragedy and the struggles they face on a daily basis. Reading the book allows one to at least partially understand the consequences for daily life of the symptoms of Down syndrome described in scientific textbooks. Additionally, in "Poczwarka," Terakowska addresses an issue that defies scientific description—the mental state and inner experiences of the sick girl. In my opinion, these descriptions are somewhat exaggerated, but they convey an accurate message—even in small, sick “caterpillars,” beautiful butterflies dwell. Although the book deals with such a painful subject, it is written in a very accessible way. I recommend it.