How far would you go to protect the people you love—and what would you become if you never stopped?

In April 1979, fifteen-year-old Ana Stanbrook travels to Yugoslavia to visit her formidable grandmother, Viola Luković. When a devastating earthquake strikes the Adriatic coast, Ana finds herself caught between childhood and adulthood, fear and courage—and a calling she doesn’t yet understand.

As Ana records Viola’s extraordinary memories, another story unfolds: of a country shaped by war and upheaval, of secret bonds forged between women, and of the ancient stone figures who watch over the land. Known as the Mamas, they have guarded generations in silence—but history is about to test the limits of their compassion.

Told through braided voices spanning decades, Three Kisses for Yugoslavia is a story of love and loss, inheritance and identity, and the quiet heroism that never makes it into the history books.

Rich in humour, myth, and lived experience, this debut novel explores what it means to carry the past—and how one brave girl learns when to run, when to stand fast, and when to give the third kiss for luck.