The Squirrel Cage

About the Book

This novel was written about communism during the years of the Stalin era in former Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1956. It is a romantic story, having the main focus on how young people reacted to dictatorship in their everyday existence while trying to live a normal life, with love affairs or just enjoying the beauty of the city and all that life has to offer when you are twenty years old. It is the story of a young lady trying to work in offices or taking part in the politics of the moment without being a party member, and her partner, a leading musician in the Czech Philharmonic, for whom acceptance of the regime is easier, as he can escape through his involvement in art. The discussion between her and her lover reveal the differences between individuals accepting or not the demands of that period.

About the Author

The author herself lived in Czechoslovakia during the period described and went through the fight to keep her ideas free from the political pressure demanded to ensure a possible existence between her aims as a young girl and not giving in to the political pressure. She has to live in the constant fear that if she reveals too much of her inner need for freedom, her existence will be jeopardized. But finally, through some ruse and a bit of luck, she manages to finally come out of this cage and reach the Western World. This novel was published in November 2012 in French under the title La Cage d’Ecureuil and was highly acclaimed. The author was interviewed on Swiss Radio.