book review: Astronaut! by Oana Aristide

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  5/5

Thank you W. W. Norton & Company for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own. 

In 1989, dictator rule clouds Romania. Eight-year-old Lia doesn’t fully grasp why she is constantly getting into trouble. She sees the oppression, rations, and suspicion among neighbors, but naively she just wants to be a kid. The fear and tension from her parents is palpable, that any mis-step their child might make could cause them to be imprisoned or worse. Paralleling Lia’s innocence is Detective Constantin, who is trying to solve a serial killer case without offending the high-ranking officials watching his every move. These two storylines eventually collide in a deeply satisfying conclusion. 

Through not only Lia’s eyes, but Constantin’s son as well, we get a really beautifully orchestrated look at childhood under oppression. I especially loved the nightly parables Constantin reads to his son to explain the world’s harsh truths; including the full text of these stories was a wonderful touch. Lia’s simple, poignant desire to “get the colour back into the world” really resonated with me. 

I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to open themselves up to something a little different, fresh, thought-provoking, and intriguing.