Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

I have learned about the Prague Spring before, but never about the aftermath. The martyrdom of Jan Zajic and Jan Palach, the East Germany-like totalitarianism that held Czechoslovakia under the brutal thumb of a police state, the control. I love the characters that are carefully crafted in this book. All of them need to flee for various reasons, but all connected by the cruel death of a boy they all love. They all felt very real and you felt for each of them.

Sometimes I feel that historical fiction is the best way to learn history--it takes a time that could be dry on the pages of a textbook and uses humanity to bring it to light. Is it necessary to always use fictional characters? Of course not--many historic figures have lives much more fascinating than fiction. But by creating that buffer between the cold facts and brutality of reality by impacting the lives of fictional people can sometimes help us process the history without having to embrace the pain. It's a great stepping stone to learning more about the actual people who experienced historic events.

DNF @ 72%

Torch is the story of Czechoslovakia following the Soviet Union's invasion. Teens come together to secretly protest the invasion, but when one of the friends commits suicide by burning himself as a public protest, the rest of the friends are interrogated, beat up, watched, and deemed to be traitors.

I was really looking forward to reading this one and learning about some of Czechoslovakia's history. The story, while incredibly sad and hard to read, was told very well. Until certain things came to light.

Spoilers below for the ableism portrayed in this book:

There were signs I didn't pick up on until 72% into the book, such as the father describing his son as slow [to learn], being antisocial, difficulty making friends, and struggling to follow life's unwritten rules. However, it wasn't until it was revealed that this character was "tested" as a child and the parents made sure his results fell within "normal levels" so he wouldn't need further examination by a doctor and the threat to send him now as an 18 year old to a "special hospital" because he is "disrupting [the] socialist order" that I put everything together and realized the blatant and horrifying ableism being thrown at this autistic coded character.

Now, I do not care if this is historically accurate (and truly do not know whether it is or not). I simply have zero interest in reading a book where the autistic character is treated so horribly and nothing is said about it. I do not know if anything will be said about this treatment later on, and I have no intention to find out. Had it been known to me before requesting an ARC, I never would have picked up this book.

CW: suicide, violence, ableism, alcoholism, homophobia, cancer, pregnancy, hospitals

*Note: I would not rate this book if netgalley didn't require it.

Rating system:
5 - absolutely love, little-to-no dislikes that did not impact my reading experience

4 - great book, minor dislikes that did have an impact on my reading experience

3 - good/decent book but for some reason did not hook me or there were some problematic things that just were not addressed or greatly impacted my reading experience

2 - is either a book I did not click with and did not enjoy, problematic aspects are not addressed and severely impacted my reading experience, or I DNF'd but think it has potential for others

1 - is very problematic, I would not recommend the book to anyone

This was a really well written book.

Taking place in Czechoslovakia in 1969, it is about a few teenagers and their struggle in a country taken over by the Soviet Union, the restrictions that were placed on their lives, and what they did or didn't do.

Reading a book like this really makes you think of what it must have been like to live in Czechoslovakia during this time period. With banning books, music, religion, and constantly not knowing who can be trusted.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

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Set in the late 1960s in Czechoslovakia, Torch follows three teenagers fighting for their freedom from a despotic government. After Pavol's depression grows too large and he takes a very final form of protesting, self-immolation, his friends are left shattered, and judged by the Communist government for their connection to him. Stepan, Lida, and Tomas each face different consequences and have to make the incredibly tough decision, on whether or not to try and flee the country, seeking a better life.
I was easily engaged by these characters; Stepan hiding his sexuality, Lida hiding her pregnancy, and Tomas hiding his neurodivergence. It's easy to root for them (though a little less so for Stepan, due to his past as a bully). They had to fight for themselves and their futures against a government that saw them as a waste of space and traitors to the regime. This is an engrossing piece of historical fiction, giving a glimpse into a time and place we don't often hear about. Really makes you think.

17-year-old Pavol has watched his country die as the soviets have taken over and in a final desperate act he decides to go out in a blaze of glory (literally) like a martyr before him. What he doesn’t consider is how this is going to affect his family and friends. His mom is now let go from her job and cannot find another and she is not able to feed his sisters, his friend is now accused of lude acts and beaten and punished over and over as well as his friend’s family is also punished. He also left behind a pregnant girl who must move back in with her molesting uncle while her father is sent to a sanitarium to die of cancer or will it the kids find a way out.
This book not only shows to horrors the soviet rule imposed on people but also the fall out of one boy’s decision. It is portrayed as well as something this awful can be. I hope it shows there is much more to think about before making and huge decision. What makes one person a martyr might not work for another. This was a good book and I hope it gets the notoriety it deserves and is read by many here that have had their rights protected against all that happens in this book to realize how fast that could change like it did for these kids.

A fascinating, young-adult historical fiction novel set in 1969 Czechoslovokia after the Soviet invasion. Pavol, the “torch” referred to in the title, sets himself on fire in protest against government repression. The novel focuses on his three friends who unfortunately are brought to the attention of the government due to Pavol’s action, and who each have something that will make them a target. Štěpán is gay, Tomáš is autistic, and Lída is pregnant with Pavol’s baby. The novel focuses on their struggles and the impossible choice they must make about whether to stay in their homeland under a brutal repressive regime or attempt a difficult escape. Highly recommend.

I wanted to enjoy this one but felt the overall mystery, plot and characters hard to relate to. I can totally see the potential here though, I might just not be the target audience.

Warning for suicide mention

The Prague Spring in 1968 Czechoslovakia brought unprecedented freedoms and a flood of previously banned Western media to the country. It was soon quashed by Soviet invasion. Torch opens in 1969, just after these happenings and after a university student, Jan Palach, sets himself on fire in protest (a true incident), signing a letter as “Torch No. 1″.

In the book, Miller-Lachmann imagines a fictional secondary student name Pavol who follows in Palach’s footsteps, committing suicide by fire after the State takes away his dream of university. The book follows three other teenagers in Pavol’s orbit and the fallout of his decision on their lives.

Štěpán, a closeted gay hockey player, Tomáš, a geeky autistic son of Communist party elites, and Lída, Pavol’s girlfriend and life-long roamer due to her father’s alcoholism, were previously only connected by their friendship with Pavol. With Pavol’s final act of rebellion, they now find themselves under suspicion by the brutal state system that aims to crush and extinguish all dissent.

"Besides, what had her father told her? This is how you survive with your soul intact. Never name anyone. You saw nothing. You heard nothing. You have nothing to say."

Like the Prague Spring’s dream for “socialism with a human face”, Miller-Lachmann gives us a tapestry of human faces amid the bleak, unforgiving world of 20th century communism. It was Pavol’s wish to reform the country from within, but In the face of failed revolution, the three teenagers must decide if love for country is worth more than their crushed dreams, under a government that views anything “different” as a crime. With Lída, pregnant with Pavol’s child, she must decide if she will allow the state to rob her child of any future, simply for the crimes of his father.

“It’s all right to be scared. We’re different. They don’t want us to be different here. They want us to be the same.”

This is an insightful look at Czechoslovakia of the time through the eyes of a cast of outcasts, with an action-filled ending and liberally sprinkled with Walt Whitman. I love the diversity of the cast, and the nuanced look at political views (for example, the characters are opposed to the harsh government censorship, while also wary of the rampant unemployment they have been taught exists in the capitalist West) at a complicated period in Czechoslovakia’s history. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction.

4/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: historical fiction, Cold War, multiple POVs, friendships, grief stories, lGBTQ+ characters, austism rep

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be posted to my book review blog on 8/18 and to Instagram on 8/25.

TW: torture, alcoholism

I think, above all, this is a story of grief. Of a group of very different people being united in their shared sorrow for the death of a mutual friend. Pavol's actions leave a void behind for everyone involved. One that quickly gets filled with the State Security's scrutiny and punishments, but also by a burgeoning friendship between the three narrating characters, Lída's father, and Pavol's younger sister. While the main focus of the story is, obviously, what they choose to do now that most of their futures are destroyed, the focus is also on how grief shapes each of them.

Štěpán is one of Pavol's closest friends: star hockey player, closeted, and bully. He's a difficult character to like at first. From Pavol's brief POV, Štěpán is someone who is trying to be a better person, but from just about everyone else's he can be harsh and sometimes violent. But he does get better over the course of the book, particularly after a certain incident. Štěpán's struggles are largely with himself and how he wants to (and can) present to the world. I enjoyed the poetic side of him and think that did give him depth. I also think he generally treats Lída well despite not really knowing her and her not fully fitting into their community.

Lída is probably my favorite character of the bunch (aside from Nika, but she's a side character). She's already faced the unjust rule of the communist party and made the best of it, so she's good at adapting. Lída also has an...interesting home life. Her dad is the town drunk and they live mostly sequestered in the woods, though both work at the factory. Despite having to often be the adult in the family, Lída's got a good head on her shoulders. She gets another rough shake by the State when they start subtly punishing her for being pregnant with Pavol's kid. While Lída herself may be content to try and go with the flow (mostly), when it comes to her future child, she develops a very action-oriented attitude and becomes the catalyst for the second half of the book.

Tomáš is the last POV character and is the son of the Party leader in the town they all live in. But that comes with its own issues, mainly that his father is abusive and constantly disappointed in him, and that his father combined with his shy and literal nature reward him with few friends. He's autistic coded and struggles to navigate the unwritten waters of Party rule. Tomáš's father surprisingly isn't that upset about Pavol's actions, but he does give Tomáš an invisible clock counting down the days until he either steps into line or faces the consequences of being branded 'antisocial.' Tomáš does try his best, though he struggles with some of the person-facing elements of it. I did feel as though he got pushed around somewhat, particularly toward the end of the book. Lída is right about his relationship with his father, but at the same time I do feel like Tomáš got manipulated at least a little by her and Štěpán. I also don't know how I feel about him and Štěpán becoming somewhat friends (full friends?) considering Štěpán's previous role in tormenting him.

Nika, Pavol's younger sister, is a pretty minor character, but she proves her mettle. She knows how things in Soviet Czechoslovakia go and wants no part in it, particularly when she can read the way the wind is blowing for her family. She's pretty clever and I liked that she and Lída were able to take comfort in each other.

Ondřej, Lída's father, is drunk more often than not, with the implication that he's drinking to forget his partisan days during WWII. He's not the best influence, and there's definitely tension between him and Lída due to him drinking with Pavol, but he does clearly love his daughter and is willing to do anything for her. The arc of his story is sad, but I did enjoy his character.

I really think the escape debate is entertaining because, like...Lída is pretty determined to do it so her and her father come up with a plan. Then Štěpán ends up in more trouble and Lída is like 'well I guess we'll take him,' and then everything kind of snowballs from there. Other than Lída and Ondřej, each of the characters has to debate with themselves whether it's worth it to leave or if they can manage to continue working within the confines of the Party for the (sometimes few) benefits it provides them.

Overall I enjoyed the book and most of the character relationships. I do feel like there's a bit of a lull between everything with Pavol and the investigation and the catalyst for everyone needing to decide whether to stay or go, but the first third and last third are both pretty action-packed.