"Radu Guia?u’s The Faraway Mountains melds the themes of friendship, freedom, and the haunting shadows of life under a repressive regime to deliver a spellbinding experience for readers. The characters are richly drawn, embodying different facets of resilience and brokenness. The setting plays a critical role in shaping the narrative. Radu Guia?u has delivered a philosophical tale that can be read as an adventure and an allegory of life — clearly plotted and hauntingly mesmerizing."
Description
Three friends. A deadly climb. A country where freedom comes at the highest cost. The Faraway Mountains is a pulse-pounding tale of survival, loyalty, and courage set against the chilling isolation of Communist Romania.
A dark chapter in recent human history
The first part of this novel follows the adventures of three young friends during a memorable last mountain climbing trip to a remote area of a country under the control of a ruthless authoritarian regime. During their journey, the young men have to cope with bear encounters, venomous adders, colorful locals, storms, dangerous climbs, flooded caves, and other challenges, as the main purpose of their trip is gradually revealed.
A second story, intertwined with the first one, focuses on a brilliant young pianist and his ill-fated quest for freedom. Urban life, in the dreary capital where the young men regularly reside, is the focus of the second part of the novel, when the friends begin to go their own separate ways and come to terms with their very different future prospects. The challenges of life in the capital, which include run-ins with feral dog packs and the secret police, are very different than those faced in the mountains, but not less dangerous. Ultimately, this is a book about friendship, the noble, irreverent and indomitable aspects of the human condition, as well as a dark chapter in recent human history, and the various ways in which different people cope with difficult and unfair conditions.
It is an often hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking exploration of the absurdities of life under an increasingly erratic dictatorship which is gradually losing its grip on the people it could never fully control.
Reviews
"Exploring themes of friendship and surviving in a world that is inherently hostile toward you, the book delivers a remarkable insight into the reality of life beyond the Iron Curtain through the eyes of young people who have never seen life outside the painful rule of a dictatorship."
"The Faraway Mountains is thought-provoking not only on communism as a system of governance but also on our responsibilities in society."
"An excellent blend of humor and poignancy, Guiasu’s latest novel examines the absurdities of life under a chaotic dictatorship that is gradually losing its grip on an ungovernable populace. Humor and irony enhance the narrative, making it both engaging and insightful. A brilliant story that captures the complexities of resisting authoritarian rule and celebrates the unbreakable resilience of the human spirit."
