Discussion for Another Love

[Diane , Armchair Tour Guide]

Start discussion here for Another Love: A Novel by Erzsébet Galgóczi.

[Diane , Armchair Tour Guide]

About the Book (from Publishers Weekly)

This detective story by Hungarian novelist Galgoczi is an effective, finely balanced blend of entertainment and political commentary. Eva Szalanczky, a journalist in her late 20s, is shot and killed in 1959 as she attempts an illegal crossing from Hungary to Yugoslavia. When Eva's body is brought in, First Lieutenant Marosi knows her immediately: he loved her back when they were students. Marosi wonders why Eva chose an ultimately fatal course: had she genuinely wanted to defect, Marosi, who's on the border forces, could have gotten her out, or she could have left during the country's 1956 rebellion. Determined to know the truth, Marosi requests leave and heads for Budapest. By talking with her friends and acquaintances there (those who haven't defected or been imprisoned or executed) and uncovering clues in some personal notes, Marosi begins to piece together a fuller, more complex image of Eva: a talented journalist, ally of the downtrodden, uncompromising critic of the government and the Communist Party, a thoroughly charming but equally annoying friend and a woman struggling with her lesbianism.

About the Author (from Wikipedia)

Erzsébet Galgóczi (27 August 1930 – 20 May 1989) was a Hungarian writer, playwright, and screenwriter. Her work is often described as realist fiction. Originally a committed socialist writer, Galgóczi gradually lost faith in the regime, and her work reflects her growing criticism of political repression and corruption.

[Suki]

The lives of the people in the book were fascinating, but the oppressive weight of the political climate was too overwhelming, and although the book was a fast and enjoyable read, I ultimately found it draining and exhausting. I felt a lot of sympathy for Eva-- imagine being a free-thinking, outspoken lesbian trying to live life behind the Iron Curtain!