Astronaut!

by Oana Aristide

A tense, darkly funny, and politically resonant novel of life under authoritarian rule.


Romania, 1989, the twilight of Ceausescu’s dictatorship: A time when every neighbor, every friend, every family member may be an informant for the regime. When news emerges of a man-eating bear terrorizing the country, two bright lives collide. Constantin, an idealistic police detective—prone to daydreaming and scribbling fairytales in his notebook for his four-year-old son—is tasked with solving the string of mysterious deaths. Lia, a rebellious, inquisitive schoolgirl pining for more color in her life, is unwittingly drawn into an elderly neighbor’s secret plot against the regime. The decisions they make amid the constant gray skies and fear of speaking out will have sweeping consequences—for themselves, for their families, and for their country. Astronaut! is a chilling, suspenseful, and resonant tale by a dynamic new novelist.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Thriller, Romania, Literary Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that when you are a child, even if you are poor, even if you live in a dictatorship, you still have that curiosity for the unknown or the future that you can't see in the adults around you because they have been "educated" and understand the dangers of the world they are living in.

'Astronaut!' captures both the reality of living in Romania during the criminal regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu and the rebellious nature of childhood through Lia, a schoolgirl who by mistake gets her parents involved in a murder investigation with political connotations.

As a Romanian, I imagine that I may be the hardest audience for this because I am familiar with the world that this novel now shows to a larger audience. And because of that, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and I am curious how international audiences will respond to it.

For me, despite the familiarity of the subject, it was a page turner that shows the absurdities of that time, without simplifying our history. Highly recommended. If you can't quite believe the story about the bear in this novel, I recommend Cristian Mungiu's movie 'Tales from the Golden Age'.

[Ruben · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

Fantastic new novel set in Romania 1989, about the absurdities of totalitarianism and a society in which any neighbour or colleague can be an informer.

The main character is Lia, a little blabbermouth who can't help getting herself into trouble. She notices the world is gradually losing its colour and is determined to bring it back. When she accidentally wins a drawing contest she shouldn't have won (because her classmate Dora whose parents are high up in the Party was supposed to win) the prize is a meet and greet with Ceausescu himself.

A second storyline is that of detective Constantin, who is put in charge of the investigation into a gruesome murder, which soon turns out to be the first of many. Is there a serial killer on the loose, or is it perhaps more convenient to blame a bear?

I love this very much, a smart plot is combined with humour. Astronaut! (i.e. not kosmonaut) has some of the absurdity and humour of Catch-22 and the warm atmosphere of Mariana Leky.

I have some Romanian friends and lately nothing excites them more than bear stories - it's a real thing.

I am pencilling this down for the Booker longlist - it could be the "Endling" of 2026.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvellous depiction by Aristide. I very very eagerly kept returning to my audiobook to listen to more Lia, to more Constantin, to more fairy tales, to more naked emperors cavorting around in the nakedness trying to force us to believe that they are dressed.

But such a naked narrative with all it's omnivorous violence and bluster leaves subject people without hope, without colour, without joy, with constant fear that now shapes their feelings, their thoughts, their lives. Where the ultimate is inching forward in a food queue or fighting whether to use cosmonaut or astronaut.

and as Lia would say "but whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy"

An ARC gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley.

[Lauren W -behind! (work)- trying to stay semi-caught up♥︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This powerful novel vividly captures the suffocating reality of life under a dictatorship in 1980s Romania. Following Lia, a brave little girl longing for the lost "colors" of her country, was an incredibly emotional experience. I felt a deep urge to reach through the pages and protect her. This is a thought-provoking reminder of the true value of freedom.

[Abolfazl Nasri · Rating 5 out of 5]

راستش مدتی بود که تقریباً فقط علمی‌تخیلی می‌خوندم. مدتی هم بود که حوصلهٔ نوشتن درباره کتاب‌ها رو نداشتم. فقط مثل تراکتور می‌خوندم و می‌رفتم سراغ کتاب بعدی. ولی فضانورد! هر دو عادت رو به هم زد. چنان از خوندنش لذت بردم که دلم خواست دوباره بشینم و درباره یه کتاب حرف بزنم. ترکیب هوشمندانه تعلیق، شخصیت‌پردازی، طنز و اندوه این کتاب برای من یکی از اون تجربه‌های کمیاب رضایت از رمان‌خوندن بود.
داستان در رومانی سال ۱۹۸۹ و زیر سایهٔ حکومت چائوشسکو می‌گذره. جایی که سهمیه‌بندی، صف‌های طویل، پاچه‌خواری، پارتی‌بازی، خبرچینی و احتیاط در حرف‌زدن جزئی از زندگی روزمره‌ شده. در این وضعیت خبر حمله‌ خرسی آدم‌خوار در کشور می‌پیچه و کنستانتین، کارآگاهی آرمان‌خواه، مأمور بررسی مرگ‌هایی هولناک می‌شه. هم‌زمان، لیا، دختربچه‌ای کنجکاو و سرکش که دلش رنگ بیشتری در زندگی می‌خواد، به همسایه سالخورده‌ و آشوب‌طلبش نزدیک می‌شه و ناخواسته پا به ماجرایی می‌ذاره که ابعادش رو نمی‌فهمه. این دو مسیر به‌تدریج به هم نزدیک می‌شن و از دلشون داستانی شکل می‌گیره که هم کشش یه معمای جنایی رو داره و هم ظرافت یه رمان دربارهٔ کودکی و زندگی زیر فشار استبداد.
بزرگ‌ترین نقطه قوت کتاب برای من شخصیت‌پردازیش بود و در مرکز این موفقیت، شخصیت لیا قرار می‌گیره. آریستیده ذهن کودک رو فوق‌العاده خوب می‌شناسه. شیوهٔ وصل‌کردن اتفاق‌ها به همدیگه، جدی‌گرفتن کلمات، چانه‌زدن با بزرگ‌ترها، لجاجت، عدم درک دغدغه‌های سیاسی،معصومیت و بی‌آلایشی، ذوق‌زدگی و توانایی حیرت‌انگیز مشغول‌شدن به خواسته‌ای کوچک وسط بحرانی بزرگ. لیا باهوشه و درعین‌حال خیلی چیزها رو نمی‌فهمه. مهربانه و در عین حال می‌تونه خودخواه یا دردسرساز باشه. می‌ترسه ولی تهش باز دنبال کنجکاوی‌هاش می‌ره. همین ترکیبه که این بچه رو چنین زنده و دوست‌داشتنی می‌کنه.
بخش مهمی از قدرت عاطفی رمان از فاصلهٔ میان درک لیا و درک خواننده میاد. لیا چیزی رو می‌بینه، براش توضیحی پیدا می‌کنه و با همون توضیح پیش می‌ره. ولی ما معنای مکث‌ها، نگاه‌ها و دستپاچگی بزرگ‌ترها رو می‌فهمیم. گاهی منطقش لبخند روی لبمون میاره و همون لحظه از چیزی که خودش متوجهش نشده، وحشت می‌کنیم. نویسنده این فاصله رو با دقت نگه می‌داره و اجازه می‌ده معصومیت، شوخ‌طبعی و اضطراب در یک صحنه کنار هم حضور داشته باشن.
کنستانتین هم به همون اندازه خوب نوشته شده. آرمان‌خواهیش در برخورد با ترس، مسئولیت خانوادگی، فرسودگی و سازوکار قدرت معنا پیدا می‌کنه. میلش به کشف حقیقت بهایی داره که می‌تونه به زندگی نزدیک‌ترین کسانش برسه. قصه‌هایی هم که برای پسرش می‌سازه، لایهٔ دیگه‌ای به شخصیتش می‌ده. مردی که سعی می‌کنه در جهانی آکنده از دروغ، راهی برای حرف‌زدن از حقیقت پیدا کنه و هم‌زمان مراقب کودکی باشه که قراره این جهان رو به ارث ببره.
کنار او، والدین لیا، همسایهٔ پیر و آدم‌های دستگاه اداری هم با تناقض‌ها، ترس‌ها و شیوه‌های خاص خودشون برای بقا، جون می‌گیرن. حتی مهرورزی در این جهان می‌تونه به شکل سخت‌گیری یا سکوت ظاهر بشه.
طنز کتاب هم یکی از لذت‌های اصلی خوندنشه. طنزی ظریف، خشک و اغلب تلخ که از خود موقعیت‌ها بیرون میاد. منطق کودکانه لیا، زبان رسمی حکومت، تشریفات اداری و تلاش آدم‌ها برای کناراومدن با واقعیت‌هایی نامعقول، مدام موقعیت‌های خنده‌دار می‌سازه. آریستیده زمان‌بندی فوق‌العاده‌ای داره. می‌دونه چه وقت یک جمله ساده یا واکنشی کاملاً جدی، پوچی تمام صحنه رو آشکار می‌کنه. خنده در این رمان اغلب ته‌مزه ترس و اضطراب داره چون خیلی زود به یاد میاریم که آدم‌های قصه مجبورن در همین وضعیت مضحک زندگی کنن و واقعا این وضعیت در رومانی کمونیستی وجود داشته.
فضاسازی سیاسی کتاب هم از راه جزئیات روزمره روی خواننده اثر می‌ذاره. خریدکردن، درس‌خوندن، حرف‌زدن با همسایه، انتخاب یک کلمه و حتی علاقه به یک رنگ. استبداد تا همین اندازه وارد زندگی شده. اشتیاق لیا به رنگ در چنین فضایی، معنایی عمیق پیدا می‌کنه. رفت‌وبرگشت میان نگاه او و نگاه کنستانتین هم به روایت ریتم می‌ده و به ما امکان می‌ده یک جهان رو با دو میزان متفاوت از آگاهی و ترس تجربه کنیم.
دیگه چی بگم؟ ۵ ستاره خیلی خوبی بود. واقعا لذت بردم.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can it really be different elsewhere, Constantin thinks? In other countries and other times. Could things be so different? Maybe this is it, that's all there is on offer here, and really he should be dreaming of travelling in outer space. He imagines a lone rocket, floating happily among the stars. No lies, no past mistakes to disentangle. Pure hope of kind new worlds.

 
The Romanian born (and raised – until the fall of Communism), macro-economists second novel, it is an explicit mix of coming-of-age story and detective novel which serves as something of a folk-tale-infused (but also at times chilling) satire of the last days of the Ceaușescu regime and as an urgently present-day fable for the need for action in the face of creeping erosions of freedom.
 
The novel has two alternating and at points interacting storylines.
 
In the first a young and almost unconsciously rebellious young girl Lia takes some money from her parent’s secret draw to buy her mother a present – the story begins with her being uncomfortably walked back to her house by the creepy shopkeeper who we (not she) realises sexually blackmails her mother over what is illegal German currency.  Later the shopkeeper is found murdered – and suspicions swirl around the family although this is only one of a series of escapades Lia naively draws her despairing (and frightened) family into – culminating in her inadvertendly winning a competition to make a presentation to the President (she determined to tell him that the colour has been stolen from the country’s grey towns and streets).  Meanwhile she befriends a local eccentric and dissident (only protected from arrest and worse by his son’s high up Party role) and he tries to persuade her to give him details of the President’s itinerary and to take him a special package.
 
In the second a detective Constantin is put in charge of investigating a murder which quickly becomes the first in what seems to be the actions of a serial killer – taking place across the country and with the victims murdered without witnesses by someone who seems to know their private regimes (the first for example murdered at a remote lake where he fishes).  The wounds seem consistent with a hook or claw – and in attempt to warn the public without admitting there is a killer, the police invent a fictitious bear (although then find themselves drawn in to investigating actual bears – including both a travelling circus and bears imported for Presidential hunting).  At one stage its realised that the murder of the shopkeeper was actually the first murder – and Constantin meets Lia and his family.
 
Constantin as a main point of view character was an addition to the novel (which was initially meant to have an autobiographically inspired Lia at its heart) – but his chapters worked better for me due to their depth.  He and his wife have a marriage marked by unspoken recrimination which we quickly realise is due to the death of their daughter some years back (only as the book progresses do we realise that this was due to a principled decision by him to refuse to take advantage of state power – and there is a particularly memorable scene when the President’s wife callously dismisses his moral stance as weakness).  And with his son – he tells a series of folk tales he invented, each in effect a clever fable on how to deal with a totalitarian regime and in effect functioning as a microcosm of the novel.
 
And all the threads are drawn together at the novel’s end – which solves the serial killer mystery (perhaps a little too neatly) but counterpoints this with a deliberate sense of ambiguity about the outcome of Lia’s Presidential meeting.
 
Overall, this is an intelligent and memorably different novel.

[Iryna Chernyshova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Непоганий детектив, дія якого відбувається в Румунії часів Чаушеску. Зʼявляється серійний вбивця, а поліція каже що то ведмідь.

Головних героїв два, а точніше два с половиною - дівчинка Лія, наївна і щира, в якої весь час проблеми в школі, бо вона вибивається з колективу, і поліцейський Константин, який пише зеленим чорнилом цікаві казочки для свого сина. І епоха, звісно.

Хто жив в совку згадає багато чого. Цікаво, міцненько, але без вау. Обкладинка дуже вдала.

[Jason Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never expected one of my favorite reads of the year would be a treatise on authoritarianism focusing on a Romanian police inspector investigating a serial killer authorities attribute to bear attacks and a precocious schoolgirl desperate for the world to have more color. Astronaut! is frequently hilarious and always moving. An utterly brilliant novel.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking place during the last days of Ceaușescu’s government Oana Aristide’s Astronaut! has a dual narrative; the odd numbered chapters focus on Lia, who inadvertently gets her family into trouble as she does not understand the terrors and arrests people are experiencing.

The second narrative is a murder mystery where a series of killings are occurring and police inspector, Constantine has to find the clues. In order to not worry people, it is suggested that the killings are done by a bear. During the investigations there are some red herrings that indicate that there might actually be a bear. I saw this as clever - there are lots of these moments in the novel.

Eventually the two destinies meet. One is brief, the other is at a ceremony where Ceaușescu is visiting Lia’s town.

Yes, everything is wrapped up neatly but that’s a side thing. What’s important is that Aristide is showing us the horrors that Romanians had to go through, although this us seen through the eyes of a child , balancing her innocence at observing people’s actions and shock at the things she does or says.

Through Constantin we see how even the law has to bend and be manipulated in order for the country to run ‘peacefully’. An intelligent, thought provoking novel. Recommended!!

[Jolanta (knygupė) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Romanas man turėjo būti mažų mažiausiai „pusė velnio“. Veiksmas vyksta paskutiniais Rumunijos monstro Ceaușescu valdymo metais, kuomet kaip ir visose socialistinio lagerio respublikose, čia vyko vidinis pasipriešinimo judėjimas. Iš pradžių pasakojimas labai įtraukė, šiek tiek priminė ukrainiečių rašytojo Andrejaus Kurkovo istorinę detektyvų seriją „Kijevo paslaptys“ (angl. Kyiv Mysteries). Knygoje buvo tikrai neblogų įžvalgų, pavyzdžiui, apie tuometį visuomenės bespalviškumą, autentiškų gyvenimo tokioje santvarkoje aprašymų. Tačiau įpusėjus pradėjau piktintis. Autorės sprendimas pasinaudoti naiviu ir smalsiu vaiku rengiant pasikėsinimą nužudyti šalies vadovą man pasirodė daugiau nei keistas. Parašyta tikrai neblogai, bet tokiai satyrai (?) pasitelkti vaiką – per daug drastiška mano skoniui.
2,5*

[Geonn Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I choose this book almost entirely based on the cover? Yes, I did. It's a great cover, and it has so much meaning to the actual story. I loved this book, definitely a top read of 2026.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, imaginative story about communist Romania, largely seen through the eyes of a curious, fearless child’. I listened to the audiobook, which was very well narrated by Rosalind Lailey and made the story more warmhearted and exciting.
Thank you to Wildfire and Netgalley UK for the advanced digital audiobook.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astronaut! strikes a magical-feeling balance between being funny and serious. The perils of life in communist Romania are told through the eyes of a young child, and although the situations she finds herself in a really dangerous much of this story feels like a great adventure. I really love reading about life under communist governments in Europe and it was really refreshing to see this kind of story told in a different way. So glad I picked this one up on a whim, it's really stuck with me.

[Matt Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astronaut is a great story with excellent characters that illuminates what it’s like to exist or try to be a professional in a totalitarian society. Lia is an elementary school student who can’t help being seditious and is constantly in trouble and scaring her parents. Her antics are charming. The other protagonist, Constantin, is a detective trying to cope with being the only person with integrity in a system and society that lacks any sense of ethics. His conversations are full of gallows humor and his chapters end with him sharing the fables he writes at bedtime with his son (all of which feel fresh and one in particular—the shame flower—is excellent).

It seems like it’s a paradox that there is any sense of a justice system in a dictatorship, but modern totalitarianism seems to require the facade of laws. Regardless, this is an accessible look at 20th century Romania that depicts the daily ridiculousness of a broken country.

[jagodasbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Communist Romania seen from a perspective of 8 year old Lia, who wants to add colour, while simultaneously there's a wild man eater bear on the loose, but is it really a bear?

Interesting take on propaganda and totalitarianism. I especially liked the scene where Lia has to stand in line for hours, because someone heard there'll be a chicken in shop, because my parents told me many times how they had to do that too.

The audiobook narrators were good!

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astronaut by Oana Aristide

Thank you to NetGalley and Oana Aristide for providing both the audiobook (narrated by Rosalind Lailey) and the e-book advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1989 Romania, just months before the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu and the eruption of the Romanian Revolution, Astronaut follows two seemingly separate lives: Lia, a young girl whose imagination stretches far beyond the grey confines of her world, and Constantin, a disciplined detective tasked with trying to catch what appears to be a serial killer... As unrest quietly builds across the country, Lia retreats into stories of space and possibility, while Constantin methodically pieces together a case that carries emotional consequences. The novel gradually reveals how their worlds are connected but it does so with restraint and care.

What makes this book different is its tonal balance. This isn’t simply historical fiction, nor is it purely a detective story. It’s a meditation on imagination and how it protects us, shapes us, and sometimes exposes us. Lia’s innocence never feels sentimental; it feels necessary. Constantin’s investigative precision is grounded, yet softened by the imaginative bedtime stories he tells his son, Sandu. (These were my favourite!) The contrast between a child trying to make sense of her environment and a man trying to impose order on it gives the novel emotional tension that feels both intimate and political.

Readers should care because the stakes are human rather than sensational. The backdrop of late-communist Romania... rationing, fear of the Securitate, whispered dissent isn’t just historical colour; it presses in on every character decision. Aristide doesn’t overwhelm with exposition, but the sense of a country on the brink adds quiet urgency throughout. The story hooks you not through twists, but through emotional convergence and the slow realisation that innocence and investigation are moving toward one another.

Experiencing this through both audio and print deepened the impact. Rosalind Lailey’s narration is measured and emotionally intelligent, with pacing that allows tension to build naturally. Her Romanian accent felt authentic to me and never distracting... instead, it enriched the atmosphere and grounded the setting. The audiobook particularly elevates Lia’s chapters, capturing vulnerability without overplaying it. By the end, Aristide ties the dual perspectives together in a way that feels earned, thoughtful, and quietly powerful.

#Astronaut #NetGalley

[Chloë ☾ ⋆* · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving and darkly humorous coming-of-age story that had me highly entertained throughout! Have never read a book set in communist Romania and I’m not sure what I expected, but I loved this. Perfect balance of weird and touching. Lia was such a well written protagonist!! If you’re looking for a satirical detective novel with hidden depth and important themes, definitely pick this one up. 🐻 🎒 The narrator was also fabulous. Thank you to Headline Audio and NetGalley for the ARC 🎧

[charlotte, · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Galley provided by publisher

Astronaut! was an enjoyable read that didn’t quite go as I expected it to, but in a good way. This is a story that follows two (seemingly) disparate plotlines: first, the investigation into a serial killer, who leaves a baffling trail that has the police desperate to pin the killings on a bear, and second, the life of a rebellious schoolgirl who ends up in a position to meet Ceaușescu himself. It’s a story that sucks you in, that, at points, feels as though it could be satire, but for the fact that you could believe it of a falling Communist regime. There’s an absurdity to it, that everyone is forced to treat with utmost seriousness, because the dictator himself does so. It’s a book that brings to life this balancing act in a very human way, through the personalities of Constantin and Lia. The one thing I would say is that I thought their stories would intersect earlier than they did, and perhaps this is the reason my rating ultimately settled on 3.5. However, when they intersect, they do so with aplomb, and this book must mark one of the rare times when I appreciate a more open ending.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astronaut! by Oana Aristide — ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I went into this book aware of Ceaușescu-era Romania only in the vaguest, peripheral way — a piece of history I'd heard of but never really sat inside. Astronaut! pulled me all the way in.

The novel follows two threads. Lia is a schoolgirl with an almost obsessive longing for color, who befriends an elderly man in her building and gets unwittingly swept into his plot against the regime. Constantin is a police detective investigating a string of deaths officially blamed on a man-eating bear, trying to hold onto his own sanity while writing dark fairy tales for his young son — stories meant to prepare the boy for the world he's growing up into. The two threads slowly braid together as the book goes on.

Lia is the heart of it for me. She reads as a kind of embodied innocence — someone reaching for a brighter future, willing to rebel in small, sometimes childish ways that make total sense once you remember she's still just a kid figuring out the world. Aristide renders the setting almost entirely in gray, white, and black, and that absence of color isn't just described — it's something you feel on every page. That's the book's real achievement for me.

The book is bleak and tense and absurd from start to finish. My one real critique is the old man' Comrade Mantea's subplot: his plot against the government is fairly easy to guess ahead of time, and the reveal landed pretty much where I'd already predicted.

Even so, this was a tense, absorbing read I stayed with the whole way through.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

An EXTRAORDINARY debut. Great story,several layers,thought provoking, wonderful chacracters.

[Francesca Folinazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a weird one for me. The book itself isn't all that weird, but my experience with it was. Allow me to explain.

I know very little about what life was like in the Socialist Republic of Romania in 1989, when this story takes place. I had to pay extra attention to the political details, so I ended up missing other important details about the individual characters. I had to go back a few times to sort things out, and when I did, I realized how nuanced the story is. It is deeply metaphorical, and I learned through some post-completion research that parts aren't exactly historically accurate. Even so, I learned a great deal about 1989 Romania and found Lia, the young protagonist, to be quite endearing.

[Jamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astronaut! is a compelling and vivid historical novel that combines suspense, satire, and poignant character study against the last days of Communist Romania. Set in a grey, tightly controlled world of rationing, informers, and state propaganda, the story follows two unlikely protagonists whose lives intersect in meaningful ways.

Constantin is an idealistic police detective tasked with investigating a series of grisly murders. He is thoughtful and introspective, juggling the weight of his job with scribbled fairytales for his young child. Lia, a spirited and perceptive schoolgirl, yearns for colour and freedom in a society that demands conformity. By chance, she becomes involved in her elderly neighbour’s secret plot against the regime.

Aristide breathes life into late-Communist Romania, capturing both the absurdities of everyday life under authoritarian rule and the small acts of resistance that define her characters. The narrative deftly balances the tension of a detective plot with the coming-of-age experiences of Lia and the moral complexities faced by Constantin, creating a layered and engaging read.

The novel explores how individuals navigate fear, truth, and loyalty in a world where even simple conversations can carry risk. It’s deeply moving and occasionally wryly funny, showing how hope and resilience persist even in the bleakest contexts.

Overall, Astronaut! is a richly imagined story that stays with you, offering insight into a turbulent period of history through memorable characters and a propulsive, thoughtful plot.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. It held my attention for the most part, although I did find it hard to get into at times.

I enjoyed learning more about what life would have been like during this time, and under a communist regime. The relationships between characters was well done.

For some reason I was confused at the end, and had to re-read the final chapter to figure it all out. I think I'm in the minority here though.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up from 4.5.

This was such an interesting story, told through two very different perspectives of characters impacted by the totalitarian regime of late-80s Romania. While Lia, a schoolgirl, befriends an eccentric neighbor, longs for a bicycle, and plots to ask Ceaușescu to return colors to the world, Constantin, a detective, is embroiled in a search for a local serial killer--while his superiors blame the murders on a bear for lack of a better suspect. At once absurd and touching, the book deftly illustrates the bleakness of Romanian life during this era. As I read, I deeply felt innocent Lia’s confusion about the state of the world alongside Constantin’s desperate hope for a better future for his son--while also seeing it as a cautionary tale to not let history repeat itself.

[Susan J. Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight-year-old Lia totally charmed me in Oana Aristide’s excellent piece of historical fiction about life in Ceausescu’s Romania. Seeing events unfold through her eyes and her attempts to rationalise them was innocent, uplifting and heartbreaking. I remember the fall of this regime, their total indifference to mass genocide and the dreadful reports about the treatment of children in orphanages (I don’t think I’ll ever forget that news footage), contrasted with the ridiculous collection of fur coats Elena Ceausescu owned, when her people were starving and in poverty.
I also enjoyed the relationship between detective Constantin and his young son, especially the nightly fairy stories, which had a fable-like quality and were his way of helping his son see the truth in what was going on around them.
Another favourite character was Lia’s elderly neighbour, whom she befriends in secret, and who gradually becomes more deranged as the plot advances.
It’s a sobering story which reimagines the end of a dreadful regime, beautifully brought to life by Rosalind Lailey’s empathetic narration.
Five stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley and Headline Audio for a chance to listen to an ALC. Astronaut publishes on 26 March.

[Karen Zhao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny book dialogue and relationships between characters. I enjoyed reading it. Provides insight to what life was like in socialist society in the 1980s in Romania. Shreeya gave to me!

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Set in the waning days of Communist Romania, the book tells two (surprisingly) intertwining stories: one about an honest detective who is finding a serial killer (whose crimes the authorities are covering up by calling them a series of bear attacks) and the second about a little girl who struggles against the confines of censorship. The parts of the book related to the "bear attack" investigation are enjoyable and interesting, but the sections where Lia narrates the story are often insufferable. She is a truly annoying child and so it makes for exasperating reading. Still, the book is more readable than not.

[Kevin Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A precocious little girl growing up in a totalitarian regime asks the wrong questions, makes questionable decisions and manages to get herself in all kinds of trouble as she navigates everyday life. Meanwhile Konstantin investigates a grisly series of deaths that seem a political inconvenience as well as an intriguing mystery. A dark but funny novel that really does an excellent job of building tension and has an incomparable and fascinating eyes view of the absurdity and incongruity of a dictatorship rule and it's contradictions! Two engaging and flawed characters lead the charge through this excellent read.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it’s a good book because I didn’t even consider docking points for the most annoying child protagonist I’ve ever seen. Self-consciously annoying, but still! Grinch mode activated.

We’re a few months before the fall of the Ceausescu regime in Romania in 1989 and a police detective is trying to investigate a serial killer in a country where criminals aren’t allowed to exist (criminals are a capitalist thing after all). Unable to warn the public of the actual danger, the police comes up with a great idea - they’ll blame the killings on a murderous bear!
Meanwhile, the world’s most annoying child is constantly butting against the repressive society she’s trapped in, calling kosmonauts astronauts (seditious), hanging out with known political agitators (dangerous), and trying to buy stuff at a security service informant’s store using foreign currency (plain stupid). Honestly, she never stops. If she’d lived in Stalin’s Russia, she would’ve gotten her entire apartment block sent to the gulag with what she gets up to.

It’s not really a police procedural - we don’t get any clues on what the murders are about until very late in the book when the pace really picks up, which I would’ve normally complained about, but this just isn’t the narrative’s focus. It’s about the absurdity and soul crushing nature of living in a totalitarian system and the ways people are forced to repress themselves and others to survive.
The characters are great (I loved the annoying girl’s exasperated parents who keep trying and failing to convince her not to get them sent to prison) and it’s a pretty quick read that really places you in the middle of a dictatorship that kind of flies under the radar compared to the USSR and other contemporary regimes.

The only thing I wasn’t too sure about was the ending - I don’t really feel like it ends on the hopeful note it’s meant to, pretending a single man might’ve been able to take out Ceausescu, when it really was the popular uprising the characters didn’t believe could happen that brought him down in real life, but that’s barely a complaint really, I understood why it served the book’s narrative arc. Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this overall.

[J. Joseph · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the uncorrected proofs in exchange for my honest thoughts.

First and foremost, this book captures the state of paranoia and neighborly suspicion in 1989 Romania rather well. Added to that is the completely “unfathomable” outlook of young Lia who just wants the world to have more colours. Given its setting, we’re in the twilight of Ceauceşcu’s reign. I really liked this juxtapositioning, especially because it gives us lines like “I can’t believe they chose Anarcho-Thumbelina here to meet Ceauceşcu”. All she wants is to be allowed to be curious, but it’s positioned against all the adults being hyper-aware that curiosity gets one killed.

Similarly, I really liked the stories Constantin told his son in between his days investigating the “bear” attacks. Each of these faerie tales ended up capturing an important element of Lia’s life, Constantin’s life, or Romanian life in general, all without the character really catching on to this fact.

As a main criticism, and for those who know history, knowing this is set in Ceauceşcu’s final year will help the understanding of the plot and will make certain elements more urgent and relevant (eg: all the bear talk). But, and here’s why this is a criticism, the book assumes a reader knows about 1989 Romania a little more than something releasing to the North American market probably should, meaning I think it will miss its mark due to reader ignorance.

Original comments from May 9
4.5, but I want to round it up -- review to come.