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Duality
At twenty-eight, Romanian army wife, DIANA ANDREI, has everything that means stability and security—a career, a loving family, a roof over her head and food on her table.But when her husband and two other men team up and escape to the West, they plunge their wives into a foreign reality brimming with secret police, then entwine their fates amongst culture shock, language barrier, betrayal, and loss while struggling to start over in Canada. Inspired by a true story, Duality offers a window in the lives of those who experience racism and alienation while struggling to find their paths in life.
316 pages, ebook
Published October 14, 2020
1 person want to read
About the author
Ica Iova
17 books112 followersIca Iova is a Canadian multi award-winning author of several books. In 2014, her award-winning romance novel, Boundaries, was a finalist at World’s Best Story. Also in 2014, Ica won 3rd place at Tallenge short story competition with a short story titled, The Haunted House.
In 2015 her paranormal romance She Never Got To Say Goodbye won bronze at World’s Best Story
She writes what she enjoys reading. When she is not writing, editing, or marketing, she’s a proud wife, mother, and grandmother, with a substantial sense of humor. She loves spending time with her family and pets, shopping for shoes, or just lazing around with a good book. She values the simple things money can’t buy, never compares herself with anyone else, never expects others to agree with her, and never follows the crowd.
In 2015 her paranormal romance She Never Got To Say Goodbye won bronze at World’s Best Story
She writes what she enjoys reading. When she is not writing, editing, or marketing, she’s a proud wife, mother, and grandmother, with a substantial sense of humor. She loves spending time with her family and pets, shopping for shoes, or just lazing around with a good book. She values the simple things money can’t buy, never compares herself with anyone else, never expects others to agree with her, and never follows the crowd.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 8, 2020
"Duality", a book set in the late 1980s, is barely "historical" from the point of view of this older reader. Still, grim as it was, I enjoyed the immersion in daily life in Romania before the revolution of 1989. Diana Andrei is a young wife and a hard-working Certified Accountant. Whilst her husband Paul, a trained paramedic, is intent on fleeing Romania, Diana acknowledges the positive aspects of her life, even under a strict and corrupt authoritarian regime. At heart, she is not a risk taker, preferring stability over freedom. But she is a survivor who knows how to take care of herself. She will face interrogation, physical assault, a perilous journey, unaccustomed poverty and the many challenges of immigrant life in Vancouver. It is a life of constant stress and anxiety.
Diana's interior monologues are full of high drama, especially when she is expressing her fears and her anger. Everything in her mind seems to be played fortissimo. Ironically, at one point, Diana claims she's been trying for months to ignore her emotions.
Ica Iova is at her best when writing dialogue. She crafts some excellent scenes, especially with kids. There are a few lighter moments, when the family is coping with Canadian plumbing, for instance; more scenes like these would have been welcome.
Half way into the book the narrative voice switches occasionally to that of fellow immigrant Lili, a woman with her own problems. Alternating points of view helps to maintain tension, but in this case I'm not sure it was necessary. Plenty of other plot elements keep you turning the page. But for me, there were some gaps in the narrative. The family spent two months in a refugee camp but little is made of that episode.
There are numerous small errors in English. which is somewhat understandable, but they would have been spotted by a more thorough copy editing. One cannot "instate" a curfew. Some imagery, whilst vivid and effective at first, is repeated. Fear put "tentacles up her back", someone speaking "spat icy pellets" are examples that recurred.
I have often wondered what it would be like to leave your homeland to seek a new and better life. "Duality" does a great job of telling that story. The significance of the title emerges over the course of the book as Diana comes to realize that she is no longer at home in Romania, but knows she is not entirely accepted as Canadian.
Diana's interior monologues are full of high drama, especially when she is expressing her fears and her anger. Everything in her mind seems to be played fortissimo. Ironically, at one point, Diana claims she's been trying for months to ignore her emotions.
Ica Iova is at her best when writing dialogue. She crafts some excellent scenes, especially with kids. There are a few lighter moments, when the family is coping with Canadian plumbing, for instance; more scenes like these would have been welcome.
Half way into the book the narrative voice switches occasionally to that of fellow immigrant Lili, a woman with her own problems. Alternating points of view helps to maintain tension, but in this case I'm not sure it was necessary. Plenty of other plot elements keep you turning the page. But for me, there were some gaps in the narrative. The family spent two months in a refugee camp but little is made of that episode.
There are numerous small errors in English. which is somewhat understandable, but they would have been spotted by a more thorough copy editing. One cannot "instate" a curfew. Some imagery, whilst vivid and effective at first, is repeated. Fear put "tentacles up her back", someone speaking "spat icy pellets" are examples that recurred.
I have often wondered what it would be like to leave your homeland to seek a new and better life. "Duality" does a great job of telling that story. The significance of the title emerges over the course of the book as Diana comes to realize that she is no longer at home in Romania, but knows she is not entirely accepted as Canadian.
October 25, 2020
COULD RELATE
Having lived in 8 different countries, I could relate closely to this story of escaping Romania and relocating to Canada. Diana describes her life under the Ceausescu regime with its totalitarian laws and punishments. When her husband illegally escapes across the border to Yugoslavia, she is left behind to face the Security Forces and is branded a traitor for her husband’s behaviour. Later there are plans for her and their two children to join him to begin a new life in Canada. I learned a lot about life under a Communist regime and I could relate to settling in in a new and strange country. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I shall look for more by this author. She has a new fan.
Having lived in 8 different countries, I could relate closely to this story of escaping Romania and relocating to Canada. Diana describes her life under the Ceausescu regime with its totalitarian laws and punishments. When her husband illegally escapes across the border to Yugoslavia, she is left behind to face the Security Forces and is branded a traitor for her husband’s behaviour. Later there are plans for her and their two children to join him to begin a new life in Canada. I learned a lot about life under a Communist regime and I could relate to settling in in a new and strange country. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I shall look for more by this author. She has a new fan.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews