Grădina de sticlă

An orphan girl leaves a village orphanage for life in Chișinău. A single, driven woman takes her in, but her motives remain unclear. Does she hope to give the child a better future? Or does she need a girl whose labour she can exploit? The child grows up amid two languages and two cultures. Around her, borders shift and political systems change.

Grădina de sticlă is a coming-of-age novel by Tatiana Țîbuleac. It explores motherhood, remorse, and the harm that a lack of love can cause. The girl's story also reflects the lives of a generation of women. Their world lies between Russia and Europe, with old bonds breaking and new ones forming.

Țîbuleac pairs a close view of cruelty with care for those who suffer. Pain, illness, and betrayal shape this world, yet beauty persists within it. The novel explores both the urge to resist and the pull to accept one's fate.