There's something in the way we swirl around each other late in the evening, whispering in one another's ear, gathering the remnants of our feast. There's something in the way we smile and hold our hands, turn the TV, radio, up loud, leave the water running, confounding the men who tapped into our lives, so we can speak and make plans about our brightening future. There's something in the way hope creeps up behind our backs and presses its palms against our eyes, leaving us smiling, but blind to the future. And we are both reluctant to speak its name, for fear that it might vanish. There's something in the way we hold each other at night, like shipwrecked passengers, like the summer when the sea was licking at our toes, like the first time we met. There's something in the way we say, We will, We will, Wil, ringing in our ears like music.

The subtle brilliance of Sophie Van Llewyn's novella, Bottled Goods, is in its simplicity of writing, compounded by a compelling story of life under a communist regime. Narrated in episodic vignettes, from shifting perspectives, you follow Alina, a teacher in a local school under constant scrutiny from the Secret Services, following her brother-in-law's recent escape to a neighbouring country. Her problems are further accentuated by the stifling interference of her over-bearing mother and her crumbling marriage. Alina takes the help of her Aunt Theresa, a manifestation of all the rich tradition and folklore, beliefs and myth of ancient Romania, to plan her escape from the tightening noose of her increasingly precarious circumstances. The narrative is laced with wonderful touches of magical realism that fit very well into the narrative.

The short chapters and poetic allure of the writing, interesting choice of words and punctuation made this novella an incredibly unique piece of writing. It felt reminiscent of stories from Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno and The Accusation by Bandi. If there are a few books you are planning to read from the longlist, make this one of them!