The Thirty-Fifth Page
by Lya Badgley
November 4-7
As Sarajevo teeters on the brink of war, American art conservator, Miri Adler, arrives to research the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah, a medieval manuscript that has withstood centuries of upheaval. Immersed in her work, Miri discovers strange patterns hidden in its pages—clues pointing to a truth that could unravel everything she knows. When a mysterious thirty-fifth page appears, she is drawn into a shadowed realm where history and folklore entwine, stirring long-dormant Balkan legends and a curse on the verge of reawakening.
Spanning two timelines—from a city on the precipice of conflict in 1992 to its fragile peace in 2015—The Thirty-Fifth Page unfolds as a luminous tale of inherited wounds, ancient magic, and the enduring stories that shape our identities.
Brimming with magical realism, this gothic-tinged literary suspense explores the legacy of a city caught between the scars of its past and the promise of a new beginning.
About the Author
Lya Badgley was born in Yangon, Myanmar, to Montana parents—a political scientist and an artist—who sparked her lifelong love of creativity and critical thought. After moving to the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s, she became part of Seattle’s arts and music scene. In the 1990s, she returned to Southeast Asia as a videographer documenting interviews with Burmese insurgents, then went on to lead Cornell University’s Archival Project at Cambodia’s Tuol Sleng Museum, preserving evidence used to prosecute war crimes. She later opened the 50th Street Bar & Grill in Yangon—one of the first foreign-owned businesses of its kind at the time.
Lya writes internationally set fiction that blends suspense with cultural nuance, exploring women’s journeys through landscapes shaped by historical legacy, grief, and transformation.
Her debut novel, The Foreigner’s Confession (2022), set in Cambodia, was a finalist for the Nancy Pearl Award for Best Fiction. Her second, The Worth of a Ruby (2023), set in Myanmar, was also honored as a finalist for multiple international awards. She now lives outside Seattle, Washington in the United States, and is excited to release her third novel, The Thirty-Fifth Page—a gothic-tinged literary suspense set in Bosnia.
