A Partisan's Daughter

The partisan's daughter, Roza, spins out her life story in a series of sometimes unbelievable tales for the benefit of stolid, dull Chris. As Chris listens, so do we, for the book is not just about De Bernieres' brilliant recreation of the ordinary life of a girl in Yugoslavia under Tito, but a careful depiction of the unique seesaw rapport that develops between her and Chris. Everything seems so clear cut between the two. Their long coffee, wine and smoking sessions in the shattered house in London seem to be hours of pure camaraderie. Intense though Chris' desire for Roza may be, he seems to be almost chivalrous in his courtesy toward her. I was lulled into thinking this was a book about how a friendship between two very different people becomes a love affair. De Bernieres' brilliant authorship was borne out by his surprise denouement. At first the ending was an "Oh, no!" moment for me. Two such likeable characters --how could they so bungle their happy ending? Chris was such a pleasant, generous fellow. Of course, there was the fact that he referred to his wife as The Great White Loaf, no longer interestd in sex, just a lump in front of the TV. Very funny, but... And Roza. All those men that she had had in her life, and at every juncture, she exclaimed, "I thought you loved me!" Unique though Roza and Chris and even the Bob Dylan Upstairs were, vivid though the setting was and brilliantly drawn the period, De Bernieres' unusual tale is universal, the misfiring of a romance between two people too needy to be able to love.

Is it any wonder, European fiction is whipping the American fiction world by leagues. de Bernieres writing reaches new heights of post-Modernist literature. While America can only understand its own pop fiction, thriller, comedy, false memoir, murder mystery, etc., the gamut of "beach books," Europeans and Asians are creating the new literature of a global community. You will fly through 'A Partisan's Daughter' and never be bored, faster than 'Corelli's Mandolin.' The Slavic sense of humor will floor you, and you'll be in love with Roza from page one. I pined-away for the lost Yugoslavia, and Yugoslavians, through Roza's stories, she made Tito feel like an old friend, misunderstood by modern times and history. de Bernieres writes with ease, no push, like Cormac McCarthy without the violence. 'Partisan's Daughter' is glowing fiction, hip and smart, a great read for any serious reader of European fiction.

I have always been a big fan of Louis de Bernieres, and I am happy to say this newest book doesn't disappoint. Note that this is a quick read - you can easily read it in one sitting. Summary, no spoilers. This story is told in short chapters, narrated by the two main characters - Chris, a lonely man who lives with a passionless wife he calls The "Great White Loaf", and by Roza, a young woman he meets on the street and propositions, under the mistaken belief that she was working as a prostitute. Well, she wasn't. At least not at that time. This unlikely couple end up meeting and having regular talks at Roza's dilapidated home, where she tells him stories about her life. We wonder if Roza is an unreliable narrator, but we want to believe her, and so does Chris. Her stories charm Chris, so much so that he begins to fall for Roza, and he craves her company and fantasizes about making her his lover. He is falling in love with her, and she seems to be caring for him, too, despite her tales getting wilder and more sordid. No spoilers - but we know early on that these characters do not end up together, and that this is the cause of quite a bit of regret. By the end of the book, we find out why, and what happened. I enjoyed the book a great deal. It can be very funny at times, and yet there are also some horrendous things that happen, in particular to young Roza as a young girl. This story tells us something about lost opportunities, and about living life to the fullest. Recommended.

Disaffected husband Christian is finally driven to seek a street-walker for relief. The encounter proves entirely unfulfilling, since the young woman he attempts to pick up declares otherwise. Roza, however, perceiving his confusion and embarrassment, decides he's harmless and invites him to return - on a platonic basis. The invitation leads Chris to becoming an adoring recipient of Roza's relation of her past life. In this brief compression of Roza's life and Chris' reaction to her tale, de Bernieres demonstrates that brevity can encompass much. Who is Roza? Chris never confronts that question directly. Instead, he lets her account of her life, implausible as much of it seems, wash over him. He accepts whatever she tells him at face value. He's shocked at much of it, of course. Roza is the daughter of a fighter for the Old Man - Tito - against the Nazi invaders of Yugoslavia. He's tough, and that trait has passed on to her. Roza's father is a sentimentalist as well, however, and she possesses that sense, also. Although it's never made clear how he managed the costs, Roza's parent sends her to university. Predictably, her first love is found there - except it isn't. De Bernieres passes the narration from Roza to Chris almost seamlessly. You are taken into one character's confidence only to be snatched away by the other. Feelings are dumped on you whether you wish them or not. Nothing here is hidden - or at least you are told what the narrator wishes you to learn. As you read, you are confronted with stark contrasts. Both characters are born out of their time. Chris watches the mixture of excitement and despair of 1970s Britain. Life among the young is less constrained, more experimental and free-thinking than he's used to. But Roza's flat is one among many occupied by young squatters in a very dilapidated building. Chris' heroes aren't Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones - yet he realises he must come to grips with what they represent. The contrast with Roza could not be more stark. Her life has been a roller-coaster ride of delights and despairs. She's Chris' tour guide to a life he can't even imagine. Is it to his credit that he's not repelled enough to leave, sitting out the episodes of Roza's life with more grief than resentment. Why does he keep returning? Why does she wish him to? She's a mix of "young woman in control" and "victim of men's depravities" by her own admission. What is Chris' role in her life - to allow her to reassert her illusion of control or to demonstrate depravity is not gender specific? De Bernieres, for all he exposes the character's views to the reader, allows them to keep much hidden away. The finale to this taunting situation is inevitable, almost Hollywood in its predictability. Yet, that aspect doesn't disappoint. Any other conclusion would have been contrived. That this one is not detracts nothing from how the author leads the reader to it. The brevity of this book may suggest

Witty and poetic, in the usual LdB style. As good as Correlli's Mandolin and Birds without Wings. Highly recommended. "[As a child,] she'd count her fingers even though she knew she hadn't lost one, and as she counted them she folded them back to make sure that she hadn't counted a finger twice." "I once heard a joke about Irish Alzheimer's disease which is when you forget everything but a grudge...I would say that that would be a pretty good description of Balkan Alzheimer's too."