A friend, visiting her in Zagreb at the time, remarked on how elegantly all the women were dressed. The result was that we all looked and behaved as if we were rich. Sometimes Drakulic loses steam. It's an interesting enough idea, but it doesn't sustain even the short chapter Drakulic devotes to it. By and large, though, Drakulic manages to show that no matter how many times borders are reconsidered or redefined, no matter what kinds of transformation a cluster of countries is forced to undergo, a nation's true character can never be reduced to simple geography.
Countries are people too.
Stephanie Zacharek Stephanie Zacharek's writing has appeared in Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. She is a regular contributor to Salon.