There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though. I also love the cover.

This is a very interesting read - perhaps it's fair to say an acquired taste for some but an awe-inspiring, thought-provoking journey for others. 

The novel, which is on the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist 2019, is described as magic realism, set mainly in Romania during its turbulent history of the 1970s. It's about Alina, whose voice tells us - but at times she is talked about in the third person - about her brother's deflection and the horrendous times that followed. Even though I learnt a lot about communism, the trying, extremely traumatic experiences of people in Romania and the  scrutiny that they were under, I did find the structure somewhat disjointed - and the 'shrinking mother' incident was too much for me, to be honest, although I realise probably not for others. 

Van Llewyn's ending felt somewhat amateurish, too, although it is justified through the reading of the notes at the end. The switching of perspectives is all part of its charm to an extent but did interfere with my enjoyment.

I'm not sure why, but I just really had trouble getting into this one - I found that I couldn't really relate to the characters and felt like it jumped around a bit too much for my liking.

*If you attempt any political comments, think again. You can’t win an argument with me, thank you.’’

‘’Twenty years later, an icon of the Saviour will hang in this spot, but in 1975, it’s Ceaușescu’s depiction that the children must revere.’’

Alina and Liviu, a young married couple, have the dreadful misfortune of living in a country oppressed and vilified by the Beloved Leader, Νicolae Ceaușescu, one of the many ‘’Beloved Leaders’’ born out of one of the darkest periods in History. Romania, the 1970s. The citizens of the beautiful, mystical country, a land so rich in traditions and folklore, live their lives in the shadow of a monster who sprang out of the Soviet Union, one of the worst oppressors in the Balkan region. When Alina’s brother-in-law manages to escape the nightmare by defecting, she and her husband become personae non gratae for their families and their colleagues, for the whole nation. Having lost hope and with her whole world shuttered, Alina’s only refuge seems to be her beloved aunt, a woman born from the tradition of Romania, a woman of magic, faith and all the values that any totalitarian state aims to massacre. This is the background of this beautiful, haunting novel by Sophie van Llewyn.

‘’Please make me a child again. A teenager. A student. A girl who hasn’t lost her father yet or her romantic views concerning the world, poverty, kindness, a parent’s love.’’

Sophie van Llewyn succeeds in creating a story from a beautiful union between Historical Fiction and Magical Realism. While the troubles of Alina couldn’t have been more heart wrenching, the writing has a whimsical, poetic quality that manages to lend a fairytale atmosphere to a bleak, painful story. The examples of van Llewyn’s talent are many throughout Bottled Goods. Dear Father Frost is an extremely emotional chapter from which the quote above this paragraph was chosen. How to Attract (Unwanted) Attention from the Communist Authorities is a brilliant chapter of bitter metaphors on the uncountable reasons for a citizen’s persecution in a society and a reality that makes 1984 seem like a walk in the park during the spring. Alina is a teacher, a ‘’comrade teacher’’ (such a scary phrase…) and a mathematical genius that is being forced to spy on her students. Even though she refuses to do so, we’re witnessing the ultimate corruption of a society, the vilification of children who are turned into either traitors or suspects. A regime that forces good people into cruelty towards the young ones. Otherwise, your survival and the future of your family are at stake.

Persecution, isolation, torture, despair. Everyone abandons you in fear of their lives because to be seen with a supposed ‘’rebel’’ means you are one of the ‘’enemies of the state’’. Your job is at risk, you are ostracized and watched, despised by your own mother, neglected, your relationship collapsing under the heaviest weight. Your ‘’comrades’’ can’t wait for the chance to turn you over to the ‘’authorities’’ to save their skin, to appear as ‘’devoted citizens’’ of a puppet state. ‘’Comrade’’...I hate this word so much...A word that should signify support and companionship became a sugar-coated word for tyranny and the subjects of an inhuman, savage universe. I remember the ‘’students’’ during my university years. We used to call them the ‘’eternal, unwashed fints’’. The ones who always tried to prevent us from attending our lessons, victims of their imaginary universe. My, I had such good fights with that lot. I mean, they may believe whatever they want but trying to force me to follow your ways will end with them in the police station...Once I threw a volume of the Norton Anthology on the head of such a ‘’comrade’’because they wanted to force our professor to leave the classroom. I never felt happier in my life…

In terms of characters, Alina gave me some trouble, to be honest. She is a bit too timid. And I’m not referring to her attitude towards the men who move the cogwheels of the dictatorship but towards her beast of a mother and her idiot of a husband. Aunt Theresa is the queen in the story. Her spells, potions, and prayers seem the only way out of a life that consumes every inch of Alina’s strength and hope. Saint Friday was also a brilliant, sassy presence. Liviu was… best not mention really…

Bottled Goods is magical, haunting, powerful, memorable. An exceptional little treasure, a book that will give you a plethora of strong feelings and bleak images. Personally, it made me feel grateful that I live in a democratic continent despite the problems and the difficulties.

‘’We will be visiting a special shop for tourists now. You can find western products there, if you miss them. I am not allowed to come in with you.’’

Many thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

Sophie van Llewyn stitches pieces of neurotic flash fiction into an atmospheric novella. Her use of this format creates a fast paced story out of slice of life pieces. Set in communist Romania with elements of magical realism, Bottled Goods follows the life of Alina from childhood to middle age. We see her fall in and out of love, battle against her distant mother, and struggle to make a life in a dictatorship. 

While I enjoyed the unique setting and format of Bottled Goods, I couldn’t stand Alina. She’s annoying, self-centered, and worst of all indecisive. She can’t make a decision about her life without spending at least 30 pages whining about whether she made the right choice. I did, however, enjoy her complicated relationships with her mother and aunt. Overall, I’d still recommend giving this novella a try. Bottled Goods is a well-written and compulsively readable modern fairytale. I just wish the main character were more likeable.

*Thank you Net Galley and Fairlight Moderns for providing an ARC for an honest review*

I read this lovely novella a few months back (late July according to Goodreads??) and with life events (wedding, honeymoon, work, etc.) haven’t been able to give it the attention it deserves – until now!

Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn is a novella-in-flash that packs quite the punch (as all flash fiction goes). I loved this format. I devoured this little novella. And I want more.

From the cover jacket:

When Alina’s brother-in-law defects to the West, she and her husband become persons of interest to the secret services, causing both of their careers to come grinding to a halt. 

As the strain takes its toll on their marriage, Alina turns to her aunt for help – the wife of a communist leader and a secret practitioner of the old folk ways.

Set in 1970s communist Romania, this novella-in-flash draws upon magic realism to weave a tale of everyday troubles, that can’t be put down.

And really, I couldn’t put this down. I started this on my commute to work, and then finished it up at lunch. It’s very dark and there are a number of uncomfortable scenes that Sophie tackles gracefully. Her flash fiction talent really shines through in the darker scenes where less said so much more.

I’m not sure if this was actually Sophie’s intention, but I got a bit of Edgar Allan Poe darkness in her writing. It’s been awhile since I’ve read anything of Poe’s, but Bottled Goods has a mental thriller vibe to it that has a constant dread present. I felt rather anxious reading it but couldn’t pinpoint where that feeling came from until later in the story when events start falling into place.

I would highly recommend picking Bottled Goods up – it’s a perfect fall read (Halloween is just around the corner, after all!). I can’t wait to see what else Sophie publishes! If you find that you ended up enjoying this as much as I did, she has some selected flash fiction available on her website: https://sophievanllewyn.com/

Fairlight Books has printed Bottled Goods in a set titled ‘Fairlight Moderns’ which also include the following titles: Travelling in the Dark by Emma Timpany, The Driveway Has Two Sides by Sara Marchant, There Are Things I Know by Karen B. Golightly, and Inside the Bone Box by Anthony Ferner. I’m hoping to pick up Travelling in the Dark soon! If you’re in the US like me, some of these are available through Amazon but you’re better off finding them through BookDepository (it’s not Prime-speed, but it’s free shipping!).

Fairlight Moderns synopses: http://www.fairlightbooks.co.uk/fairlight-moderns/

Hope everyone is having a good autumn (’tis prime reading season) – what are you all currently reading?

<blockquote>The other teachers slip by her into the break room. They sip their cold coffees in silence, their faces like cassettes with their tape pulled out, unwinding every bit of conversation they had with her in the past few years. [loc. 727]</blockquote>

A short, unnnerving book (novella-length) set in Communist Romania during Ceaușescu's regime. Alina is a schoolteacher who has, according to her mother, married beneath herself. Worse, her husband Liviu's brother went 'on holiday' and never came back. Already under suspicion, Alina stacks the odds against herself by failing to report a pupil's possession of a contraband magazine. All might yet be well (despite the menacing Tuesday-afternoon visits of 'the man from the Secret Service'): but Alina's mother is a good Communist, and thoroughly disapproves of her daughter's choices. So Alina, in desperation, turns to her aunt Theresa, the wife of a powerful politician and a practitioner of the old ways.

Themes of escape and imprisonment thread through <i>Bottled Goods</i>. At the heart of the story are the three women, each trying to gain and keep control or power, each trying to make meaningful choices. The totalitarian regime, and the ways in which it stifles Alina and Lviu's marriage, is depicted in scenes that are both mundane and nightmarish (there are some unpleasant chapters dealing with assault and abuse), and the magical-realist elements are told in an equally matter-of-fact way. 

<i>Bottled Goods</i> is composed of many short chapters (some of which have been published independently, as flash fiction), alternating between Alina's first-person viewpoint and a third-person voice. There are chapters in the form of lists ('How to Attract (Unwanted) Attention from the Communist Authorities'; 'A Comprehensive, but Not Exhaustive List of Reasons for Asking for an Italian Visa') and letters ('Dear Father Frost'; 'Postcards to my Mother'). An unnerving depiction of a repressive regime and the weight it brings to bear on every aspect of life: a story about hope, and plans, and lies well-meant and otherwise.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest review!

An elegant kaleidoscope of episodes from different points of view that tell the story of a Romanian woman and her family, their power in society and lack thereof, her fears and anxieties, and her eventual escape to the West. Minimalist, magical realist, and a masterpiece of storytelling.

Bottled Goods is a exploration of life under an authoritarian regime told in snapshots laced with fear, broken relationships and a touch of magic.   

van Llewynan writes beautifully, as well as excels at building suspense and making room for it in a story already overfilled with tension and suspicion.  I'll admit, I didn't feel the more other worldly aspects of the novella so much. However, the writing was so strong in other areas that I didn't really mind that much.

This was an ARC via Netgalley and Fairlight Moderns Novella in exchange for an honest review.  With thanks.

Bottled Goods is story set in communist Romania, dealing mainly with difficult life during this era with bits of magical realism added to the mix. We first meet Alina when she is young girl, wishing for Levi’s jeans and working as a tour guide. She grows up into a woman hating her teacher’s job and having difficult relationship with her mother. She has mysterious aunt Theresa and with her, the magical enters the story. 

The book is written in short pieces of narrative, which fit together really nicely and create one compelling story. I liked how the life difficulties in the era, the workings of secret police, and fear and grudges of people were described here. I wasn’t that big fan of mixing realism with the magical realism here, but I must admit that it gave the edge to the story and made me laugh all laud sometimes. I just wish the magical part was more frequent or better explained, so it would made more sense to use it. 

Overall, it was really nice, fast-paced read and I definitely would love to read other works from this author.

4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this short book about life under Comunism in Romania.Bottled Goods tells the story of Alina before and after the biggest change in her after her brother in law defects, Alina's life feels clautrophobic and dangerous and you feel that with her. The book is told in very short disconnected chapters that invite you to always read one more, the style of the chapters is very varied and goes from long lists to normal narrative and back. Some parts of the story reminded me of Swallowing Mercury with perhaps a little more magical realism. I think that the small magic details work very well within the context of the book and that is usually a difficult thing to achieve. 

This book will transport you to a recent part of Europe's history, it will make you angry and sad but it's very much worth reading. 


I received a free copy via NetGalley. Thanks Fairlight Books. All Opinions are my own.

The Romanian folklore adds a touch of whimsy to an otherwise dramatic novella about societal and familial relationships in Communist Romania.

This is the fourth (and probably final from this series, anyway) novella I've read from the newly published line by Fairlight Moderns (who provided to me a reader's copy). 

This one was in the top two of my hierarchy of interest in these novellas, primarily due to it being described as magical realism. I've always been the (admittedly foolish) reviewer who tries (usually vainly) to define the borders of magical realism. For this one I'm going to say that my primary categorization for this one isn't magical realism but rather surrealism, and just flat out magical.

I wavered on this one, which surprised me. Though sold as and encouraged me as a reader under the promises of magical realism and the interesting and unique setting of communist Romania in the 70's (and I did find the setting to be one of the more interesting elements), I found that at its core this story was about the relationship of a marriage and whether it could withstand the destructive societal and political pressures in which it (tried) to grow. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't support or cheer for the relationship because I never felt its strength through a substantial background or insight to its core. In fact, in something like only the second or third (short) chapter in which we discover that they've just been married, the bride is already questioning their relationship and feeling cold and contained and alienated from her husband (though little previously made me believe in the thread between them anyway). So when that relationship is then almost immediately tested by outside forces, I didn't feel like there was much at stake to begin with. 

I loved the novel setting and I did like enough of the writing to keep this author in my headlights and consider her again.

Really rather odd.  Social history or fantasy?

I would have enjoyed this so much more without the fantasy element.  The storyline, until we get to the magic, is excellent and the characters well-drawn.  This is a time and a place we know little about, so this was a marvellous introduction and triggers a desire to learn more - but the folklore should have stayed where it belongs, to be told as fireside tales to a willing audience.

Set in Romania in the 1970’s, this portrays life for Alina and her husband, Liviu, under the Communist Ceausescu regime. Life for them becomes even harder when Alina’s brother in law defects to Germany. Her husband is a head teacher and is transferred to a difficult, failing school and seems to rely heavily on the alcohol that he drinks on the long train journey home. Meanwhile, Alina is harassed by a Secret Service agent, and this becomes very sinister. 
The bottled goods of the title could be used as a metaphor for different aspects of this story: the perfumes Alina covers from the West; Liviu’s reliance on alcohol; how the couple (and probably their countrymen) bottle up their emotions and desire to defect; and a final, more fairytale bottling up - which I won’t give away. 
This was all presented in the form of flash fiction that joined together to make a whole story. I liked this approach. It made the whole book feel uncomfortable (you never quite get in to the swing or the rhythm of the story), probably how Alina and Liviu felt, constantly under threat of arrest. 
Many thanks to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for my copy of this book.

I saw this cover and the description which seemed a little magical and I had to request it! The layout of this novel is a little unusual with bullet pointed lists and very short chapters which I wasn't expecting but I did like that format - it's flash fiction and something I'd definitely want to read in the future. Bottled Goods is set during the communist era in Romania during the 1970's which is a period of time I'm not too familiar with. We follow Alina, her family and her husband as they have to deal with the aftermath of her brother-in-law defecting to France. What follows is a look at their marriage, Alina's tumultuous relationship with her mother, the oppressive government regime under Ceausescu and more than a few magical and folktale elements which I loved. The Romanian folktale and magical realism elements were my favourite aspects of the book, at other times it was very melancholic and frustrating but I'd definitely recommend it!

3.5 stars. I am really not a fan of magical realism--if you are, this book is for you!

This is a "novella-in-flash", and I don't really know what that means. I am guessing short chapters/snippets, rather than an extended narrative. A legitimate way to tell a story, but I don't really get the marketing push--my next netgalley book is also "flash"!
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In this novella we follow Alina, from young single tour guide to married elementary teacher--a job she hates--in communist Romania. She does not have a great relationship with her mother (a die-hard communist), and she and her husband are struggling under the weight of his brother's defection to the west, which puts additional scrutiny on them. By the end of the novella, Alina is 50-something.

The author grew up in Romania, though I think she is probably too young to remember life before the 1989 revolution. She undoubtedly has heard a whole lot about it, and this novella has various Romanian foods mentioned and explained. So even though I did not love the magical realism aspects of the book (which is something of the foundation of the story), I very much enjoyed the Romanian flavor. 
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Thanks to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alina is a teacher in Romania, living in fear under the reign of Ceausescu. A small incident in her classroom sparks a host of encounters with the secret service, which eventually leads to her and her husband planning to escape the country. However, Alina’s mother has other ideas…
A story of betrayal, a story of magic and fairies, a story of revolution, a story of new beginnings.
Short, sharp and emotional, this is a gripping read.

Bottled Goods details the life of Alina through the eventual disintegration of socialist Romania through flash fiction that amalgamates visceral, historical fiction with the tradition of magic realism and Slavic folklore. A Master and Margarita-meets-Baba Yaga Laid and Egg, this novella expertly details the the fear that accompanied the Romanian comrade status in a time when it was dangerous to lack conformity in a skilled way that I have only previously seen portrayed by Bulgakov. Sophie van Llewyn's writing style is clear, concise, and expertly utilises the gaps that flash fiction affords to allow the reader to fill the gaps in a similar, fearful way that I imagine Romanian citizens (and all those living in communist times) must have when their neighbours, friends, and relatives left a gap behind them.

Set during the communist era in Romania, this is not an easy story to read. There are a lot of fear and feeling of trapped inside, a lot of unvented frustration and dashed hopes. But this is not the reason why this book doesn't click with me. I love how it was told in short chapters, the writing works really well for the story, but some threads of the story just lost to me and it's far longer than what I expected.