Bottled Goods

Longlisted for the2019 Women’s Prize, this poignant, lyrical novel is set in 1970s Romania duringCommunist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime—and depicts childhood, marriage,family, and identity in the face of extreme obstacles.Alina yearns for freedom. She and her husband Liviuare teachers in their twenties, living under the repressive regime of Communistdictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the Socialist Republic of Romania in the 1970s. But after herbrother-in-law defects, Alina and Liviu fall under suspicion and surveillance,and their lives are suddenly turned upside down—just like the glasses in hersuperstitious Aunt Theresa's house that are used to ward off evil spirits. But Alina's evil spirits are more corporeal: asuffocating, manipulative mother; a student who accuses her; and a menacingSecret Services agent who makes one-too-many visits. As the couple continues tobe harassed, their marriage soon deteriorates. With the government watching—andmost likely listening— escape seems impossible . . . until Alina’s mysticalaunt proposes a surprising solution to reduce her problems to a manageablesize. Weaving elements of magic realism, Romanian folklore,and Kafkaesque paranoia into a gritty and moving depiction of one woman'sstruggle for personal and political freedom, Bottled Goods is written in short bursts of “flash fiction” and exploresuniversal themes of empowerment, liberty, family, and loyalty.