Bottled Goods (Longlisted For Womens Prize For Fiction 2019)

Description: Longlisted for The Women's Prize for Fiction 2019, The Republic of Consciousness Prize 2019 and The People's Book Prize 2018. 'Enjoyable to read' - Dolly Alderton, The High Low. When Alina's brother-in-law defects to the West, she and her husband become persons of interest to the secret services, causing both of their careers to come grinding to a halt. As the strain takes its toll on their marriage, Alina turns to her aunt for help - the wife of a communist leader and a secret practitioner of the old folk ways. Set in 1970s communist Romania, this novella-in-flash draws upon magic realism to weave a tale of everyday troubles that can't be put down. 'A story to savour, to smile at, to rage against and to weep over.' - Zoe Gilbert, author of 'Folk'

Review: `An assured debut which is part-absurdist, part-thriller, part-social realism. If you're looking for intrigue, psychological depth and the darkly comic in a book that can be read in one hour, this is for you.' - Republic of Consciousness Prize 2019 judges; `this stunning historical novella [...] is both tense and atmospheric' - Mslexia; `The prose is tight, witty, vivid and atmospheric [...] Every word on the page pulls its weight' - Litro; 'Sophie van Llewyn's stunning debut novella shows us there is no dystopian fiction as frightening as that which draws on history.' - Christina Dalcher, author of 'VOX'; 'A story to savour, to smile at, to rage against and to weep over.' - Zoe Gilbert, author of 'Folk'; Lucid and powerfully affecting.' - Helen Rye, winner of the Bath Flash Fiction Award; 'A masterful blend of the political and the personal, the magical and the mundane, the historical and the hyperbolic.' - Ingrid Jendrzejewski, editor-in-chief of FlashBack Fiction; 'Sophie van Llewyn has brought light into an era which cast a long shadow.' - Joanna Campbell, author; 'The uncertainties of life and love, and the insatiable quest for freedom - bottled neatly in a set of stories that captivate and enchant.' - Michelle Elvy, coordinator of New Zealand's Flash Fiction Day and Bath Flash Fiction Award judge

Author Biography: Sophie van Llewyn was born in south-eastern Romania. She has published and won awards for her flash fiction and short stories across the UK, Europe and the States. Bottled Goods is Sophie's debut long fiction work.