She and her husband Liviu are teachers in their twenties, living under the repressive regime of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the Socialist Republic of Romania in the 1970s.
Longlisted for the 2019 Women's Prize, this poignant, lyrical novel is set in 1970s Romania during Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's regime-and depicts childhood, marriage, family, and identity in the face of extreme obstacles.Īlina yearns for freedom.