Bottled Goods
by Sophie Van Llewyn
Nomination: Women's Prize Longlist 2019
Date Read: April 14, 2022
A newlywed couple, very much in love and looking forward to their future together, become caught up in circumstances beyond their control. Alina yearns for nothing more than perfume and some Levi’s. Liviu just wants to live his life and enjoy the company of his wife and brother, who visits them nearly every night. But in the blink of an eye, the brother has sold his belongings and fled to Paris, sidestepping the oppressive regime of Ceaușescu’s Romania.
The brother’s defection puts Alina and Liviu under government scrutiny, believing that this couple know more about the brother’s plans than they are letting on. Of course, Alina and Liviu don’t know a thing but this puts stress on their marriage, pressure on their teaching jobs and tension within their family.
Alina suddenly finds herself entertaining a Secret Service agent every Tuesday, as she hopes to keep him at arm’s length by her charm and baking skills. She doesn’t tell Liviu about these visits, worried they will set him off even more. Liviu has taken to drinking heavily and this form of escapism puts even more pressure on their marriage as the newlyweds move further and further apart from each other.
In this short novella, so much transpires that it feels so much longer than its mere 192 pages. Alina receives a first-hand look at the horrors of Ceaușescu’s punishment for dissidents when she’s taken by her Tuesday Secret Service man to a nearby prison and sees the brutalities being inflicted on her countrymen. She is nearly raped and she keeps this to herself as well. She determines the only way to survive is to escape.
Bottled Goods is a really good glimpse into little-known Romania during the 1970s. With sparse prose, every word packs a punch and seems carefully chosen. What could have made this novella superb is the omission of the shrinking parents. The magical realism Van Llewyn was going for here doesn’t work well with the rest of the book. I struggled to understand the point and there really is none. I understand the betrayal Alina felt at her mother turning her in to the authorities for allowing contraband into her classroom but to “shrink” her seems absurd. It doesn’t even fit in a metaphorical sense.
Overall, this is a semi-precious stone that could have been a brilliant diamond. I think she has a great career ahead if she or her editor can reign herself in.
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