4.5

I read Bottled Goods in two sittings. It's a small book which I found extremely compelling.
First of all, I had no idea what flash fiction was, but whatever the definition is, I liked it. A lot.

This book resonated with me on a personal level, as I am a Romanian child of the 70s, so many of the stories, descriptions, foods, rituals, behaviours, social and work relations were very familiar.

I thought van Llewyn accomplished so much with so little. The structure worked incredibly well to put together a jigsaw puzzle of life in Communist Romania, to make up a picture that was pretty realistic, simple yet complex.

I couldn't stop asking myself whether my assessment was objective, even knowing there is no such thing as objectivity when it comes to any form of art. I've been told that I can be harsher or too critical when it comes to anything Romanian. It's complicated. I loathe nationalism/patriotism and while I am not ashamed to be a Romanian, I also don't feel pride. I like to think I'm more than geography, while also having the geography in my blood, to a certain extent. I am happy that I got to experience some Communism but was lucky to be a teen when it ended so I didn't get brainwashed. I can smell propaganda like a bloodhound. Anyway, what I'm trying to say in my convoluted, unedited way, is that I believe this is an objectively good book.

There is one magical element to the story, which didn't quite work for me, even though I understood it served a purpose and added a bit of quirk to a bleak story.

So, yeah, I'm glad I read Bottled Goods and I'm grateful to Deanna for bringing it to my attention.

I hope this book finds a bigger readership and I'm looking forward to reading more from Sophie van Llewyn (I'm guessing it's a pen name as it's not Romanian in the least).