Bottled Goods: A Novel
Sophie Van Llewyn
Jul 2020 · HarperCollins
4.5star
2 reviewsreport
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185
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About this eBook
A Romanian woman seeks freedom—from her marriage, her mother, and a Communist dictator: “Lovely, funny, sad . . . It almost reads like a Wes Anderson film.” —Dolly Alderton, New York Times–bestselling author of Good Material
Longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction
Alina yearns for freedom. She and her husband, Liviu, are teachers in their twenties, living under the repressive regime of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the Socialist Republic of Romania in the 1970s. But after her brother-in-law defects, Alina and Liviu fall under suspicion and surveillance, and their lives are suddenly turned upside down—just like the glasses in superstitious Aunt Theresa’s house that are used to ward off evil spirits.
But Alina’s evil spirits are more corporeal: a suffocating, manipulative mother; a student who accuses her; and a menacing Secret Services agent who makes one too many visits. As the couple continues to be harassed, their marriage deteriorates. With the government watching—and most likely listening—escape seems impossible . . . until Alina’s mystical aunt proposes a surprising solution to reduce her problems to a manageable size.
Weaving elements of magic realism, Romanian folklore, and Kafkaesque paranoia into a gritty and moving depiction of one woman’s struggle for personal and political freedom, Bottled Goods explores universal themes of empowerment, family, liberty, and loyalty.
“The chapters are as brief and intense as flashes of lightning in a storm. So is van Llewyn’s prose. . . . the novel is a strikingly original work. Taut, searing, and sharp, van Llewyn’s novel is a lyrical jewel.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Drawing on Romanian folklore and a few touches of magic realism, this novella-in-flash-fiction by the Romanian-born van Llewyn is a wonder.” —Library Journal (starred review)
Longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction
Alina yearns for freedom. She and her husband, Liviu, are teachers in their twenties, living under the repressive regime of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the Socialist Republic of Romania in the 1970s. But after her brother-in-law defects, Alina and Liviu fall under suspicion and surveillance, and their lives are suddenly turned upside down—just like the glasses in superstitious Aunt Theresa’s house that are used to ward off evil spirits.
But Alina’s evil spirits are more corporeal: a suffocating, manipulative mother; a student who accuses her; and a menacing Secret Services agent who makes one too many visits. As the couple continues to be harassed, their marriage deteriorates. With the government watching—and most likely listening—escape seems impossible . . . until Alina’s mystical aunt proposes a surprising solution to reduce her problems to a manageable size.
Weaving elements of magic realism, Romanian folklore, and Kafkaesque paranoia into a gritty and moving depiction of one woman’s struggle for personal and political freedom, Bottled Goods explores universal themes of empowerment, family, liberty, and loyalty.
“The chapters are as brief and intense as flashes of lightning in a storm. So is van Llewyn’s prose. . . . the novel is a strikingly original work. Taut, searing, and sharp, van Llewyn’s novel is a lyrical jewel.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Drawing on Romanian folklore and a few touches of magic realism, this novella-in-flash-fiction by the Romanian-born van Llewyn is a wonder.” —Library Journal (starred review)
Ratings and reviews
4.5
2 reviews
About the author
Sophie van Llewyn was born in southeastern Romania and now lives in Germany. She has published and won awards for her flash fiction and short stories across the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States. Bottled Goods is Sophie’s debut long fiction work. It has been long-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019, the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2019, and the People’s Book Prize 2018.
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