Rupa na nebu

But when Nikola Krobatin finds a geographical map on which these corridors are precisely drawn, clearly showing how not only geological plates and layers collide in the soil on which Zagreb lies, but also cultures and civilizations, Krobatin sets out to explore the underground passages, accompanied by the mysterious Marija Jurić, and comes to many interesting discoveries, encountering various temptations and participating in exciting events. Although it was first published in the first half of the nineties, the novel A Hole in the Sky becomes especially relevant today, not only because it predicts tectonic movements in Zagreb, but even more so because it depicts today's social conditions and relationships with astonishing precision. This is not the first time that Pavličić's text announces the future, and critics have long noticed this feature of his stories; but this is perhaps the most striking example of how literature can turn hunches and suspicions, from what is "in the air", into not only an exciting story but also a social diagnosis.