Bargains! PROMOTIONS
Oana Aristide is a writer, travel journalist, macroeconomist and hotelier. She was born in Transylvania, to parents of Romanian, Greek and Yemeni background. After the fall of communism, the family emigrated to Sweden. She is the author of Under the Blue, one of Times' Books of the Year in 2021.
Astronaut! is brilliant, compulsive and thrilling. Aristide is a safe pair of hands for this uneasy story of life in a dictatorship. I will be reading this book again! * Alice Winn, author of IN MEMORIAM * I loved it. Oana has woven political satire, allegory, suspense, humour and fully realised characters into something utterly gripping. It's sharp, original and completely absorbing. * Georgina Godwin, broadcaster and literary journalist * Astronaut! is a brilliant and uniquely energising read. Aristide's skill as a storyteller glimmers in every deftly navigated twist and turn of a remarkable plot that introduces us to remarkable characters from all walks of life, all in the grip of a tired totalitarianism they may (they hope) finally be able to put to rest. Even if you know nothing about Romanian history, you will love this book! * Jennifer Croft, author of THE EXTINCTION OF IRENA REY and translator of Olga Tokarczuk’s FLIGHTS * A brilliant, funny, moving novel set in 1980s Romania. It's a gripping page-turner but more than any other book I've read, it gives a real sense of what it means to live under a totalitarian regime: the lies you must tell and the lies you must accept in order to survive - and what happens when you try to hold onto the truth. Aristide recreates this time so vividly, revealing the cruel deadening effects of dictatorship on ordinary people, its surreality and pettiness. It's shocking to remember this is recent history; Aristide's portrayal of a regime that insists on its own truth is a powerful and pertinent one. One of the best novels I've read this year. * Joanna Quinn, author of THE WHALEBONE THEATRE *
