Notes from Underground
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Bronze Winner of a 2015 Independent Publisher Award in the Suspense/Thriller Category
Set in the twilight years of the Czechoslovak communist regime and recalled from the suburbs of Washington. Roger Scruton evokes a world in which every word and gesture bears a double meaning, as people seek to find truth amid the lies and love in the midst of betrayal.
Notes From Underground tells the story of Jan Reichl, condemned to a menial life by his father's alleged crime, and of Betka, the girl who offers him education, opportunity, and love, but mysteriously refuses to commit herself. Their doomed love affair within the system that traps them comes alive on the pages, creating a beautifully tense look into life under communist regimes and the effects it has on the people living within them.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Philosopher and activist in Eastern Europe Scruton (The Meaning of Conservatism) weaves references to literature, the subway, and dissident movements into both his title and this bittersweet tale, set in Prague during the twilight of Communist Czechoslovakia. Jan Reichl is a young man living on the fringes of society whose mother has just been arrested for underground publishing. What she conceals from the police is that her son is also "Comrade Underground," author of Rumors, a collection of his impressions of the lives of fellow passengers on the Metro. It is this book that leads to his romance with Al beta Palkov , or "Betka," as she is known. Betka introduces Jan to an alternative Prague, where ideas are freely discussed behind closed doors. Decades later, Jan reflects from suburban Washington, D.C., on his brief romance with Betka and the tumultuous times that they lived through. A familiarity with Czech culture and history will enhance the reader's experience, but Scruton's prose will satisfy anyone with an interest in this place and period.
