“A Remarkable Story of a Family’s Surviving the Totalitarian Regime in Romania
Claudia Moscovici’s historical novel, Velvet Totalitarianism, has been acclaimed as “A deeply felt, deftly rendered novel of the utmost importance to any reader interested in understanding totalitarianism and its terrible human cost,” by author Travis Holland, author of The Archivist’s Story. This remarkable work makes the tortured history of Romania under the oppressive regime of Ceausescu come alive by tracing a family’s struggle to survive the corrosive psychological demoralization of living under the yolk of the Securitate, the country’s Secret Police.
We are introduced to the Schwartz family who live in fear of the power of the Securitate’s loud interrogations, torture, rape, and severe beatings. Always on the alert, family members ask, “Were you followed home?” or pronounce, “Can’t we enjoy life without worrying every single moment?”
We follow the oldest son of the Schwartz family, Radu, to Paris where he had been given permission to study chemistry at the Cite’ Universitaire. He also takes a part-time job with Radio Free Europe and meets Ioana, an athletic raven-haired beauty. Their love blossoms but at a high cost for Radu. She introduces him to a “friend” who secretly works for the Securitate, someone who pressures Radu for information from Radio Free Europe. Tortured for not agreeing to spy on RDF, he soon disappears and loses contact with his family.
Meanwhile his father gets a teaching job in the United States and defects. His mother and younger sister apply for visas to join him; that action results in the mother’s losing her job. Not until three years later are they successful in getting their visas during which time they only receive a rare telephone call from Radu letting them know that he is still alive, but not disclosing his location or what he is doing. A bit of humor is interjected in reading about the mother and sister’s attempts to understand the English language and American way of life when they do finally arrive in the USA.
Radu and Ioana eventually reunite and Radu learns that they have a son, Lucian. Unbeknown to one another, they each had secretly been working for the CIA after Radu’s disappearance. After the overthrow of Ceausescu’s regime, they are both offered positions in the new government by someone who had formerly worked for the Securitate. The irony in this turn of events prompts Ioana to declare, “Nobody gives a damn about ideals and principles. Politics is about power.”
This novel makes the history of Romania’s totalitarian regime under Ceaucescu come alive as it is brought home by following the struggles of a family living through that period of time. It is a story of resilience and hope, a book well worth reading.
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Alice Rene wrote this review Monday, March 14, 2011.
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