The Story That Cannot Be Told

Kramer's mesmerizing debut focuses on the final months of the reign of Communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu in Romania in 1989. Ileana, 10, lives with her parents in a drab apartment in Bucharest. Fearful of ubiquitous government spies, she is passionate about two things: listening to her father's stories and creating her own in her Great Tome. When Ileana's uncle, who has written against the regime, disappears, Ileana's frightened parents send her to live with grandparents she has never met in her mother's native mountain village. Kramer intersperses Ileana's experiences of adapting to village life, both more abundant and more arduous than city living, with a retelling of her namesake folktale, "Cunning Ileana," in which a young princess outsmarts evil princes. Similarly, Ileana, creative and resilient, must outsmart the Securitate to protect the village and her family from the government's plans. Ileana's voice credibly connects life under a totalitarian regime and corresponding elements of the folktale, and as the novel builds to a dramatic climax, reality and fantasy become difficult to discern. The supporting characters are all strong and sympathetic, and fully dimensional Ileana exemplifies girl power at its complex and ferocious best. Ages 8-12. (Oct.)

Gr 3-7--This gripping story describes the impact of the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania on the lives of one family and draws on multiple sources of information--folklore and fairy tales, stories told to the author by Romanian friends, and the author's research into history and literature--to yield a powerful mix of fact and fiction. The writing draws heavily from the language of storytelling: "Once upon a time, something happened. If it had not happened, it would not be told." The book centers on Ileana, a young girl whose world is shaken as the Ceausescu regime erodes individual freedoms and sows fear and resentment. Secret police intrude into people's lives. One day, despite her parents' warnings, Ileana lets in an "electrician," who proceeds to install bugs throughout the family's apartment. Ileana, a talented storyteller and writer, is a threat to everyone's safety, especially her own, so her parents send her to the countryside to stay with her grandparents. Life gets more and more constrained, and the secret police eventually endeavor to destroy the village where Ileana is staying, find her uncle, and punish him for writing a political manifesto. The novel's structure draws readers in. Threaded throughout are retellings of Romanian fairy tales about "Cunning Ileana," a smart princess who outsmarts her enemies. These tales encircle the main narrative in fascinating ways that invite speculation and interpretation. It would be hard to end this story and not feel connected to it and curious to know more about what happened in Romania in the 1980s. VERDICT An engrossing read that will raise questions about how to determine the truth of past events.--Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York