In the middle

Martin works in a day centre for people with autism. In his free time, he drinks wine, makes sarcastic comments about himself and the world around him, and watches life unfold through social media. Nothing seems to phase him, until two people enter his life at once: Veronika, whom he starts dating, and Michal, a new and rather challenging client. Martin finds a way to connect with both of them, but at the same time, he discovers that these relationships have cracked the cynical shell he has worked so hard to build. He finds himself confronted with his own vulnerability and fragility, and admitting it isn't easy for him.

The prose debut from the popular author of the Autismus & Chardonnay books is a story about how difficult it is to ask for help when we need it most, and how it takes courage to reveal our weaknesses.

Martin Selner
(b. 1984) lives in Prague and has worked as an assistant in a day centre focused on helping people with autism spectrum disorder. In March 2016, he started writing a blog about his experiences called Autismus & Chardonnay, for which he was nominated for the Křišťálová Lupa 2016 award in the One Man Show category and for Magnesia Blog of the Year in 2017. The blog also led to a book of the same name, published in autumn 2017. Its loose sequel, Autismus & Chardonnay 2: Pozdní sběr, was published by Martin Selner in 2019. The book Uprostřed also deals with the topic of autism, but it is not based on the author's own experiences, but is a novella.