“Bottled Goods” by Sophie van Llewyn
Bottled Goods has just
been longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction, after having previously
been longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2019 and nominated for
the People’s Book Prize. Here’s a brief review I had written when I
read this “novel-in-flash” last year…
When Liviu's brother defects to the West, he and his wife
Alina are hounded by the Romanian Communist authorities. We are in the 1970s,
at the height of the Cold War, and not even well-connected Aunt Theresa, who
practices the forbidden old folk ways even whilst her son works for the regime,
can save Alina and Liviu from the unwelcome attentions of the Secret Police.
The constant danger blights a relationship which could, and should, have been a
special one.
Totalitarian rule casts a shadow on the history of the last century. Bottled Goods is neither the first nor the last novel to be inspired by the horrors of authoritarian governments. What distinguishes this novel from many others is its stylistic and narrative approach.
It is, first of all, a "novel-in-flash" - written in the form of short interrelated vignettes which can, and in some cases have, been published as standalone pieces. Moreover, the narrative sometimes wanders into the territory of magical realism. These flights of whimsy give the novel a light touch, even whilst it's presenting us with the terror of a communist regime and its tragic impact on ordinary lives. The novel is permeated with a sense of fear and dread, yet the pill is sweetened by the fairytale narrative.
This is an original début from a distinctive literary voice.
Paperback, 176 pages
Published July 11th 2018 by Fairlight Books
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