Budapest Noir: Ilona Gets A Phone: 5

by Alison Langley

In Budapest Noir 1945, 1956, 1974 merge into 1991 and a nation is allowed to remember the dark days of its past and come to terms with its history before seeking to move on to a different future. The novel starts with Ilona getting a phone installed in1991. This banal act has huge significance as before the fall of the Communist government Ilona was not allowed to have a phone as her husband took part in the 1956 Uprising and her son escaped in 1974. In 1991 with the aid of a Fullbright Scholarship with his wife and small child Ilona’s son Emil returns to Budapest for the first time to create an exhibition about Hungary’s transition to democracy. Ilona wants her son to get back what had been stolen from them by the Communists and make them rich while Emil just wants to make art and learn about the past. This clash of values nearly spells disaster. There are flashbacks to the Russian army arriving in1945 and the uprising in1956. The novel recounts the dark and tragic events which took place. It is hard not to be moved to tears by what Ilona and her family had to endure. Her story is one that she shared with countless others in Budapest and Hungary during those dark days. Ilona never complains and never talks about the past it is a weight she carries in silence.

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 12, 2024

About the author

Alison Langley is a former foreign correspondent with extensive experience covering events across Europe. She began her journalism career in the US before moving to Europe in 1986, where she reported on a wide range of topics in Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland. From 1990 to 1994, Langley freelanced for the Wall Street Journal Europe in Budapest, where her novel is set. Langley lives in the Swiss Alps with her husband and their rescue dog.

Reviews

[Michael Shields]

Alison Langley’s debut novel details a strong-willed woman’s effort to rebuild her life of wealth and privilege after decades of misfortune that reflect Hungary’s tumultuous history from the end of World War Two to the fall of the Iron Curtain. Dispossessed of her family’s estate by the Communists, widowed by her dissident husband’s death in the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising and abandoned by her teenage son’s defection to the West, Ilona sees the new era of political freedom and democracy as the chance to finally reclaim her rightful place, helped by her son Emil’s return from his new life in the United States. Emil looks askance at Hungarians’ mad scramble for riches amid economic chaos — no matter what it takes — but Ilona pushes him to join the fray, even at the risk of losing him for a second time. Drawing on strong characters in Ilona’s inner circle, the story explores what defines success while painting rich detail of life in Hungary and the hardships that fuel the eventual rise of the far right.

[Nancy Freund]

I knew very little about the would-be peaceful/turned violent Hungarian revolt of 1956 in Budapest nor the Communist takeover of that country. Even now that Hungary's political landscape is so often in the news, I lacked a basic understanding of its history. This fantastic work of historical fiction follows Ilona's story after her husband is murdered in that revolt and she and her son are (mis)treated as likely dissidents for decades. The son escapes and grows up in the United States, but Ilona stays the course in Budapest, where she is not even permitted a phone for many years. The day she finally gets a phone installed in her tiny flat signals a big change in her life. She doesn't dare spend the money on an international phone call, so she writes a letter to her son requesting a call. He doesn't call, but soon, Ilona is hosting him, his epileptic, vegetarian, Amreican wife, and their toddler in her small flat. The son didn't even know Ilona's grand family home had been taken by the government. He has become a photographer, and he has a grant to record "the new Hungary." He hopes to gain an understanding of what happened in his country of origin... and to his father. And his mother. Ilona wants to keep the lid on tight. But she also hopes this is the moment in the "New Hungary" that her son can help her recover her family legacy and her home. She wrongly assumes he's got money. Also, he's not home to invest in Hungarian nightclubs or real estate or putting rights to wrongs. But that third request, putting rights to wrongs, keeps nudging him as his photography and videography evolves. There are still people in Budapest who were there in 1956, who witnessed what happened that day, and since. Finally, slowly and quietly at first, they become eager to talk about it, despite possibly terrible risks.
Alison Langley has put together an excellent story that builds and reveals one small slice of history at a time until a marvelous crescendo takes over the narrative. As much as Ilona made me crazy with her over-controlling, instrusive behaviors -- like so many mothers worldwide, regardless of their histories -- I couldn't help but cheer her on, page by page.
This book was heartily recommended to me by European Writers Salon steering committee member Cauvery Madhavan, and I'm so grateful.

[Mel Mars]

Review coming soon

[J Fearnley]

1945 the war ends. The Germans who had entered Hungary in 1944 in order to keep the Hungarians on the Axis side were eventually pushed out by Russian soldiers. After a fifty day siege of Budapest with thousands of German and Hungarian deaths, thousands captured the city unconditionally surrendered on 13 February 1945.

Ilona is the daughter of a Baron but with the Russian invasion they lose their home, her father, her brother disappears and horrendous atrocities take place. Ilona and her mother move to Budapest. Later Ilona meets and marries Laci.

1956 the Hungarian people rise against their Russian rulers in Budapest.

With the 1956 Uprising Ilona loses her husband. She has her mother and son, Emil, to take care of but repercussions from Luca’s participation in the Uprising make things very difficult.

1974 Emil travels to a swim meet when he gets some bad news.

Ilona has made what she can of life to support her family when Emil goes missing she is visited by the secret police. Does she know where he is? No! Later she finds out that he has escaped to the USA where he is taken in by a family. He later meets and marries Melissa.

1991 Hungary has been free of Russian rule for a short period.

We open the story with a great event for Ilona. She is going to get a telephone installed in her home. She has never been allowed one previously because of her husband’s participation in the Uprising and her son’s defection. But who will she get calls from?

Like buses, when one good thing comes along so does a second. Ilona receives a letter from Emil saying he is coming to Budapest!He has a bursary for a photography project on ‘Hungary in Transition’. Can he and his wife and daughter stay with her? Ilona is delighted.

Ilona has had a hard life, still working in her sixties she gets to work early so she can collect the papers on her way and start her daily report for her boss, John, at the newspaper. She is accepting of her life on one level but also finds things hard. Still she goes to meetings with John and learns lots of things which can be useful. She’s a bit of a wheeler dealer and enjoys solving problems. She makes contacts and gets to know things like how the Government is encouraging foreign investment and that they are going to allow people to get back their property taken from them by the Communist regime. Ilona has a plan!

So we read of Emil’s return, his project, his mother’s plan and we go back and forth in time as we learn what happened to Ilona and her family in 1945, what happened at the uprising and how Ilona lost her job, why Emil defected in 1974 and what that action did to Ilona and her mother.

Ilona has friends Judit and her husband, but her best friend lives in the apartment across the hall from her. Erzsebét, Erzsi, lives with her son István. He and Emil were good friends too, when they were young.

Ilona wants her old home the Pálffy kastély back but Emil is not interested. Ilona thinks she can persuade him, thinking he could become a businessman like István and become wealthy but her scheming falls on its face. It comes to a head at a dinner party. Emil is furious and moves his family out of his mother’s home.

Ilona doesn’t want to lose her son again and unbeknown to him she helps with a problem that has occurred with his exhibition.

This is a story that has so much contained in it of Ilona’s life which goes hand in hand with Hungary’s recent history. A story that puts a personal perspective to the things that happened at important moments for Hungary and gives the reader a glimpse into what it was like and allows us to better understand what happened and how it affected the Hungarian people.

Alison Langley has written a wonderful story that brings life to what would otherwise be a collection of dry facts and has done it in a gentle, thoughtful and honest manner. It is a very moving story told well. There is humour, there is horror, there is love and there is hope.

I found the book interesting, moving, tense, amusing, appalling, full of terrific characters and totally worth reading.


Thanks

Thanks to the author Alison Langley for kindly inviting me to read and share my thoughts on her first novel Budapest Noir: Ilona Gets A Phone.

Thanks also to Dedalus Books for sending me a copy of the book.

[Lynsey]

‘Budapest Noir’ is a triumphant piece of historical fiction that managed to make me smile, laugh and cry. This is the history I love - based on the ordinary people that have extraordinary tales to tell. This author has managed to weave an entertaining narrative through a period of tumultuous history with aplomb. I have always found oral history to be arresting and whilst this is a fictional
story there will be many Hungarians that this will ring true for. Having studied these events as part of my university degree I can attest that the author has done meticulous research and that the themes and narrative of this book are authentic and true experiences many have lived through.

I don't want to say too much about the story as I think the experience of the reader is heightened in this case by going in blind. But this I will say - by the end you will want to hug all the characters and keep them close. Ilona has a place in my heart and will do for a long time. This book manages to paint a vivid scene, especially with the ending and its world-building and its descriptions of Budapest are outstanding. It is a book that seeks to show people’s truths and highlights how people adapt to hardships and trauma. It shines a light on human experiences and depicts complex characters with an easy that is uncanny!

Simple put you need to read this! The best book I have read so far this year.

[Nicola Doyle]

This was a charming read! The concept was excellent and it worked very well. It's one of those books that if you do read it, you will need the tissues handy! I cried a lot.

The cover is simple. It has a building on the front and it gives very little away other than Ilona getting a phone. The colour mix was good. Lovely design work.

The story is written well and flows nicely. It's descriptive and the feel of the visited decades is very much present.

The characters were wonderful. They were rich and fit into their roles well. I loved Ilona. She was a great character.

The book is written in third person from multiple points of view. This was the perfect way to tell the story.

I really recommend this book but don't forget the tissues!

[Molly G]

Langley transports you straight into 1990s Budapest with rich, evocative prose that captures the tension of a country caught between its past and a fragile future. Her attention to detail makes the setting feel alive, from crumbling buildings to quiet moments filled with history.

At its heart, though, this is a story about the complex, often painful bond between a mother and son. Ilona and Emil’s relationship is layered with unspoken regrets and emotional distance, and Langley explores it with honesty and subtlety. It’s both a moving personal journey and a reflection of a nation learning how to heal.

[Will Wolfslau]

The novel follows Ilona, a complicated and often acerbic widow, as she attempts to reconnect with her estranged son and reclaim the property that her family lost under the Communist regime. It's full of terrific details of life in Budapest during this period of upheaval, a time rife with opportunity but also corruption and disappointment. Beyond the immersive setting, the family conflict is very moving, as Ilona's flailing attempts to improve her son's life threaten to sever their relationship entirely. It all makes for a transporting and very memorable read.

[Gwen Florio]

The protagonist in Alison Langley’s debut novel is by turns annoying, willful, reality-averse and heartbreakingly hopeful in her determination to wrest a better future from the ashes of her past. I fell in love with her.

[Charlotte]

Wow, what a story with so much history woven into the storyline. I don't really know much about the history of Hungary, other than that the Nazi's invaded 1944, and that after that they were ruled by the Soviet Union. I've never really thought about much beyond that though. Budapest Noir managed to bring the period following the Revolution of 1956, as well as the surrounding events to life, despite being set mainly in 1991. There were some incredibly difficult themes but Langley manages to write about them with sensitivity whilst not saying away from the brutality.

I really liked the central theme, which for me was about a family torn apart by politics and matters outside of their control; and then them coming together and facing up to the past. I really liked Ilona, and whilst I didn't always understand some of her parenting I am very aware that I have raised my children in a very different time and place so I can't blame her for sometimes seeming cold and unfeeling.

I also really loved the subtle comparisons between American and Hungarian culture and beliefs. I can imagine that they would have come as a real shock to the characters.

[Leanne Tempest]

This is an amazing story covering trauma, loss, reunion and the renewal of hope. Set in Budapest after WWII and the fall of the Iron Curtain the story centres around Ilona who is traumatised by the death of her husband in the 1956 uprising, the defection of her son to America and the acquisition of her childhood home which is converted to an aged care facility.

Ilona is such a strong main character despite the emotional pain she suffers on a daily basis and this is so well written that the reader is able to immerse themselves in it and empathise with Ilona.

After 17 years she is reunited with her son who is now married with a young daughter. The reunion is not without its problems but Ilona is determined to make things work although she struggles to understand western ways.

Budapest itself almost becomes a character in the book and I really enjoyed learning about Hungarian history which I knew very little about.

This is a wonderfully uplifting book and beautifully written by debut author, Alison Langley. I’ll certainly be watching for more books by her in the future!!

[Lauren Flewett]

Having recently returned from Budapest I found myself reading this book at just the right time. I could certainly imagine all the descriptions of the city the author gave throughout.

I didn’t know much about Hungary’s history before reading this book but I found it very interesting and learnt a lot.

Ilona as a main character was a bit annoying but I loved Emil and Erzsi as characters.

This book really shows the disconnect between the past and the country trying to catch up with the rest of the western world. Especially poignant is the difference between wanting to return to how things were and wanting to leave the past behind and progress.

[Brian Kelly]

Everyone loves a prodigal son story especially if they've swam to freedom from behind the iron-curtain. The only issue is that Ilona's son wants to make art rather than millions in real estate investment. Ilona, in a kind of reverse cinderella plot, wants her pre-revolution aristocratic status back. A clash of values ensues, but both mother and son learn to deal with the past and restore their relationship. I especially loved the feel of Budapest in a state of flux. A very interesting period.

[Emily]

Where do I even begin describing how remarkable and moving this book is?

Budapest Noir: Ilona Gets A Phone primarily follows Ilona, who is living in Budapest in 1991 shortly after the fall of the USSR. The story follows her as she reunites with her son and his family, and the struggles she faces through political changes, growing family dynamics, and how her identity must shift in a new world.

The story takes place in Budapest, which has seen quite a lot through the course of the story. While the story primarily takes place in 1991, there are flashbacks to events that happened in 1945, 1956, and 1974. These dates are essential for the story, as they give a deeper background to oppression, trauma, revolution, and escape that brings this story to life.

I adored every single character, no matter how they frustrated me. Ilona herself is such a complicated woman whose trauma informs who she is in every way imaginable. Ilona's friend and neighbor, Erzsi, is a reflection of Ilona and how similar stories can diverge into different experiences. Alison's writing really shined in contrasting these two characters, which I found to be one of the most interesting parts of the book. Melissa, Ilona's US American daughter-in-law, ended up being one of my favorite characters, not only for the world she is experiencing for the first time, but also seeing her through the eyes of Ilona and Erzsi.

I found the story quite intoxicating and was really enamored with the project Emil, Ilona's son, was trying to accomplish. Emil is a photographer who is documenting the new Hungary that is emerging after the fall of the USSR, and the entire book is a reflection on his project, which gives a deeper meaning to the plot of the book. It felt like the book was an extension of his project.

I felt so many emotions during this entire book, from joy to grief, which has stayed with me long after reading it. It made me reflect on the current political state of the world and how precious the freedoms we have are taken for granted.

[Amorina Carlton]

It's really good that you get the whole book cover because if you just had "Ilona Gets a Phone," to go by, you might think this is a light cute story. Which might be what my brain did to me. It picked out that one part to remember so I was surprised by the complex, deep dive into world history we got with this novel. And what an interesting experience it is! It's one of those perfect summer books that takes you somewhere and if you read it right you look up and are surprised to find yourself in your very modern living room.

The characters in this one were all very realistic. Relatable in their inability to open up to each other - many of them had lived through the harsh reality of communist and socialist regimes. There were lots of explanations in the book for why they worked in theory but didn't work in practice. Beyond the obvious political themes, there were so many themes like family, political fear, parental expectations, gender roles in family, Western vs Eastern cultural differences. It really has a rich mine of resources to explore.

Historical fiction isn't my favorite, but this was really interesting. I haven't explored much in this part of the world or this time period, but this has inspired to consider reading more like this.

[Gisele]

If you know the stories of anyone who escaped from Hungary in 1956 you will recognize Ilona and her son. If you don’t, you will gain a true understanding of how seemingly ordinary people with ordinary lives are anything but. Langley’s evocative writing shines a light on how blindness to our loved ones’ backstories can wreak havoc on our relationships, and how close to the brink we have to get to find the will to repair them. I loved this book, a story of grit, love, fear, anger, and redemption of those who survived the iron curtain and themselves.

[David Butler]

In any noir worth its salt, one gets an atmospheric sense of the city. As we follow the acerbic widow Ilona following the return of her estranged son Emil from the US", one of the pleasures of this novel is the kaleidoscopic mosaic of Budapest through some of the most significant moments of the 20th century - the Soviet "liberation of 1945, its brutal occupation of 1956, through the fall of the Iron Curtain. Well worth a read.

[Daisy Hollands]

This is a real gem of a book. Sure, the title is a little bit clunky, but it does make sense once you start getting into the story. Beautifully written and I’m sure painstakingly researched, this is a history lesson hidden in plain sight in a novel. The author paints a moving and vivid picture and for me, I found it really easy to become immersed in the pages. This book will leave a lasting impression on me. It’s an emotional story, one of cultural and historical importance. Highly recommended.

[Reader]

Fast moving storyline with compelling characters. Ilona and her family and friends live in 1991 Budapest while reminiscing about the dramatic changes the country and her citizens experienced prior to, during and after the 1956 Uprising. Ilona’s son and family have returned following a long absence and are excited to discover how the country has changed. This is an emotion packed story.

[Sarah Shields]

I loved getting to know Ilona and learning about Hungarian history through the lens of these flawed characters and their interpersonal relationships. The novel weaves together fascinating storylines of past and present, exploring themes of identity, values, and autonomy.