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The Secret Box
On the cusp of womanhood, Daina Tabūna’s heroines are constantly confronted with the unexpected. Adult life seems just around the corner, but so are the kinds of surprise encounter which might change everything.
Two siblings realise they’re too old to be playing with paper dolls and begin to re-examine their close relationship. A girl who dreads visiting her religious grandmother develops her own fixation with Jesus. And a disaffected young woman, listlessly wandering the streets, stumbles into an awkward relationship with an office worker. The narrators of these three stories each try, in their own way, to make sense of how to behave in a world that doesn’t give any clear answers.
The Secret Box features three stories from Pirmā reize (Mansards, 2014): ‘Deals with God’ (‘Darījumi ar Dievu’), ‘The Secret Box’ (‘Slepenā kaste’) and ‘The Spleen, My Favourite Organ’ (‘Liesa, mans mīļākais organs’).
Two siblings realise they’re too old to be playing with paper dolls and begin to re-examine their close relationship. A girl who dreads visiting her religious grandmother develops her own fixation with Jesus. And a disaffected young woman, listlessly wandering the streets, stumbles into an awkward relationship with an office worker. The narrators of these three stories each try, in their own way, to make sense of how to behave in a world that doesn’t give any clear answers.
The Secret Box features three stories from Pirmā reize (Mansards, 2014): ‘Deals with God’ (‘Darījumi ar Dievu’), ‘The Secret Box’ (‘Slepenā kaste’) and ‘The Spleen, My Favourite Organ’ (‘Liesa, mans mīļākais organs’).
- GenresShort Stories
97 pages, Paperback
First published November 16, 2017
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29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 11, 2020
Thank you so much to The Emma Press for this review copy of Daina Tabūna's The Secret Box. I adored Emma Press's previous collections First Fox and Postcard Stories so I was so excited to receive this.
Story #1: Deals with God ⭐⭐⭐
A little girl is warned by her grandma that she should be praying. Soon after her baba passes away she starts becoming obsessed with Jesus, seeing signs and people to convert everywhere she goes. I adored how Tabūna portrayed the naivety and imagination of the young narrator, and the personification of Stroke:
"I thought Stroke must be something evil: something diabolical... My mum let me draw get-well cards to bring to Baba at the hospital, but she never took me along. I didn't ask her to either. I was afraid of meeting Stroke."
#2: The Secret Box ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A little girl and her brother play with paper dolls. This story switches between the siblings' relationship as they grow older and their parents divorce, and the imaginary, magical adventures of the dolls. There's something ominous about it - when the girl meets her brother's new girlfriend, her possessiveness leaves us on edge wondering what lengths she'll go to to keep him to herself.
The story beautifully depicts that moment when you realise you're "grown up" and the games you still love are now suddenly embarrassing, which really struck a chord.
#3: The Spleen, My Favourite Organ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was my favourite of the lot - I love a bitter, selfish, untrustworthy protagonist. This woman is bored of pacing her flat talking to herself. She asks out an office receptionist and keeps seeing him despite finding him dull, purely because she admires how her voice sounds as she chats with him. It's not an action packed story but a brilliant character study with a character who feels real and (a bit worryingly) relatable.
We have to talk for a second about Mark Andrew Webber's stunning printwork illustrations which appear on the cover and throughout the book - it just makes the book such a treasure inside and out.
Originally posted on Instagram @alice__reads
Story #1: Deals with God ⭐⭐⭐
A little girl is warned by her grandma that she should be praying. Soon after her baba passes away she starts becoming obsessed with Jesus, seeing signs and people to convert everywhere she goes. I adored how Tabūna portrayed the naivety and imagination of the young narrator, and the personification of Stroke:
"I thought Stroke must be something evil: something diabolical... My mum let me draw get-well cards to bring to Baba at the hospital, but she never took me along. I didn't ask her to either. I was afraid of meeting Stroke."
#2: The Secret Box ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A little girl and her brother play with paper dolls. This story switches between the siblings' relationship as they grow older and their parents divorce, and the imaginary, magical adventures of the dolls. There's something ominous about it - when the girl meets her brother's new girlfriend, her possessiveness leaves us on edge wondering what lengths she'll go to to keep him to herself.
The story beautifully depicts that moment when you realise you're "grown up" and the games you still love are now suddenly embarrassing, which really struck a chord.
#3: The Spleen, My Favourite Organ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was my favourite of the lot - I love a bitter, selfish, untrustworthy protagonist. This woman is bored of pacing her flat talking to herself. She asks out an office receptionist and keeps seeing him despite finding him dull, purely because she admires how her voice sounds as she chats with him. It's not an action packed story but a brilliant character study with a character who feels real and (a bit worryingly) relatable.
We have to talk for a second about Mark Andrew Webber's stunning printwork illustrations which appear on the cover and throughout the book - it just makes the book such a treasure inside and out.
Originally posted on Instagram @alice__reads
November 29, 2020
I truly enjoyed the Secret Box, featuring three stories from a collection by Latvian writer Daina Tabuna shortlisted in the Best Debut category of the 2015 Latvian Literary Awards.
The stories give a glimpse of life in Post-Soviet Latvia suspended between old new, and are unique each in its own way. They are also stories of coming-of-age as a young woman and explore the the shaping (and questioning) of new values and new identities.
1) Deals with God is the story of a little girl growing up in an age where religion and spirituality find their way into society after decades of suppression. The young protagonist is confronted with different ideas of God, from the stern God of her grandmother Baba, her own feminist interpretation, and more institutionalised views. At the same time, we see how spiritual messages mix with advertising messages and materialistic desires in a society that is embracing capitalism.
2) The Secret Box features brother and sister at the time of their parents’ divorce as they move into a new small apartment and new school. The girl starts a paper doll collection and involves her brother in the play, which is a secret because of the expectations of macho culture. This is a brilliant exploration of power dynamics and gender and identity roles.
3) The Spleen, My Favourite Organ, is a dark, funny and powerful exploration of coming-of-age, loneliness, and alienation. It features wonderful female main character and supporting cast that are reminiscent of the best Gogolian tradition.
I also loved specific details such as the interiors (and objects such as the Zenith camera, I used to own one!), which make the period portrait even more convincing.
I am thankful to Emma Press for the review copy and for bravely bringing us this little gem in English translation. We need more like this!
The stories give a glimpse of life in Post-Soviet Latvia suspended between old new, and are unique each in its own way. They are also stories of coming-of-age as a young woman and explore the the shaping (and questioning) of new values and new identities.
1) Deals with God is the story of a little girl growing up in an age where religion and spirituality find their way into society after decades of suppression. The young protagonist is confronted with different ideas of God, from the stern God of her grandmother Baba, her own feminist interpretation, and more institutionalised views. At the same time, we see how spiritual messages mix with advertising messages and materialistic desires in a society that is embracing capitalism.
2) The Secret Box features brother and sister at the time of their parents’ divorce as they move into a new small apartment and new school. The girl starts a paper doll collection and involves her brother in the play, which is a secret because of the expectations of macho culture. This is a brilliant exploration of power dynamics and gender and identity roles.
3) The Spleen, My Favourite Organ, is a dark, funny and powerful exploration of coming-of-age, loneliness, and alienation. It features wonderful female main character and supporting cast that are reminiscent of the best Gogolian tradition.
I also loved specific details such as the interiors (and objects such as the Zenith camera, I used to own one!), which make the period portrait even more convincing.
I am thankful to Emma Press for the review copy and for bravely bringing us this little gem in English translation. We need more like this!
June 10, 2019
The Secret Box was my favourite of the three. Highly recommended short stories.
September 14, 2025
Three enjoyable short stories. Really enjoyed reading The Secret Box
August 27, 2019
I really enjoyed these short stories. Stories about growing up, tinged with melancholy about what is being left behind.
September 25, 2023
2.5. I usually love Emma as a press, but this was so underwhelming and difficult to get through, despite its small size. Just...boring, simplistic, and didn't make the most of its thematic and character landscapes at all.
May 11, 2019
I really enjoyed the last story but I feel like the first two stories were designed for a much younger audience both stylistically and plot-wise.
April 30, 2024
Pleasant read. Wasn't blown away, but wasn't bored either.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews