{"product_id":"bottled-goods-a-novel","title":"Bottled Goods: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLonglisted for the\u003cp\u003e2019 Women’s Prize, this poignant, lyrical novel is set in 1970s Romania during\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCommunist dictator Nicolae \u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCeausescu\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e’s regime—and depicts childhood, marriage,\u003cp\u003efamily, and identity in the face of extreme obstacles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlina yearns for freedom. She and her husband Liviu\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eare teachers in their twenties, living under the repressive regime of Communist\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003edictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the Socialist Republic of Romania in the 1970s. But after her\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebrother-in-law defects, Alina and Liviu fall under suspicion and surveillance,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand their lives are suddenly turned upside down—just like the glasses in her\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esuperstitious Aunt Theresa's house that are used to ward off evil spirits. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Alina's evil spirits are more corporeal: a\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esuffocating, manipulative mother; a student who accuses her; and a menacing\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecret Services agent who makes one-too-many visits. As the couple continues to\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebe harassed, their marriage soon deteriorates. With the government watching—and\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003emost likely listening— escape seems impossible . . . until Alina’s mystical\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eaunt proposes a surprising solution to reduce her problems to a manageable\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esize. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWeaving elements of magic realism, Romanian folklore,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand Kafkaesque paranoia into a gritty and moving depiction of one woman's\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003estruggle for personal and political freedom, \u003cem\u003eBottled Goods\u003c\/em\u003e is written in short bursts of “flash fiction” and explores\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003euniversal themes of empowerment, liberty, family, and loyalty.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sophie van Llewyn","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":55254637904163,"sku":"9780062979520","price":12.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0930\/2258\/5123\/files\/9780062979520.jpg?v=1781829216","url":"https:\/\/epicreads.com\/products\/bottled-goods-a-novel","provider":"Epic Reads","version":"1.0","type":"link"}