Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Among other former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Albania is rarely in the spotlight. The country was unique in its position as the last Stalinist outpost, even when other fellow communist states embarked on reformist policies. It was the only country that withdrew from the Warsaw Pact alliance before 1990, an action precipitated by the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in which Albania did not participate. The fallout with the Soviet Union brought Albania closer to Maoist China, although their relations with China would reach a deadlock as China stopped their economic support for Albania and embraced market reforms under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping in 1978. From then on, Albania became increasingly isolated, it stopped looking to other countries for support, it stopped owing them anything or wanting their help. “There was no inflation, no unemployment, no loans and no debts. It was self-sufficient,” as Małgorzata Rejmer (Margo) notes it here.

Presented in the style of interviews, much close to the style Svetlana Alexievich employs in her oral history, Margo Rejmer interviewed many people in the layered society of communist Albania. As a Pole, Margo could draw the line between communism in Poland and Albania which differs significantly after the death of Stalin. To present as much clearer image as possible, Margo interviewed people from all kinds of backgrounds, writers, artists, and simple folk, while listening to them talking about the hardships they faced during the reign of Enver Hoxha and after the fall of communism. In July 1991, an amnesty was issued to all political prisoners and the regime’s crimes become open knowledge, yet no one asides from Nexhmije Hoxha, the widow of Albania’s mighty dictator, was held accountable for the crimes committed under communism.

This book is a testament to and collective voices of the people incarcerated under the regime which no longer exists, but the impacts remain to be felt by the increasingly older generation of Albanians. “You had to leave friendship behind”, according to Bashkim Shehu, the son of the late Mehmet Shehu, who until 1981 was the number two politician in Albania after Enver Hoxha. People are framed to be afraid of the system, to stay silent, as everyone could inform everyone else. It was believed that 1 in 4 people are in one way or another related to the Sigurimi, the state security and secret police apparatus of communist Albania. Comparing it to the East German Stasi, the number of informers in Albania is closer to total surveillance, as it was believed that 1 in 9 East Germans informed for the Stasi.

Each person’s story in this book is unique. Some experienced living incarcerated behind the prison bars for more than 10 years for talking bad about the system, complaining about the lack of food and nourishments, while some others are found “guilty” by association due to bad family history or someone’s from the family escaped to the West. There were also those people experiencing internal exiles in the countryside with the purpose to break their characters, families and friends turned into enemies, and also heroic deeds were done under gunpoint. While most of the stories are sad, there are also anecdotes to be found with people living in communist Albania. The German Embassy in Tirana now has an installation of “Liaz” truck on its wall, commemorating how Ylli Bodinaku took his truck and smashed the wall of the German Embassy on July 2, 1990. The crack on the wall allowed 3,000 people to pour into the embassy and paved their way to escape to the West.

This book is simple and highly readable in its form, but the story runs deep. Translated from the Polish by Zosia Krasodomska-Jones and her mentor, Antonia Lloyd-Jones who has translated Olga Tokarczuk’s works, this is one of the few available English-language sources on the life of Albanians under communism. For readers interested in digging deep into the history of communism or Cold War history in Europe, this will be an interesting read comparable to the works by Svetlana Alexievich.

A frightening and utterly captivating journey into the heart of Enver Hoxha's totalitarian regime through the numerous testimonies so brilliantly and skillfully gathered by this Polish author. An engrossing but very painful look at one of the most respressed societies in Europe during the 20th century and the sinister political machine that kept its spirit crushed during 40 long and terrifying years. This is the best tapestry of the Albanian Communist dicatorship available in English. A unforgettable portrait of a nation totally destroyed by ideological madness and ruthless barbarism. A highly recommended read👍👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for this terrific ARC