RMST202-Literature Review

I found this book incredibly difficult to understand but somehow also really enjoyable. I felt like I was missing some historical context that would’ve made some of the references and allusions more meaningful, but besides that here are my thoughts…

The novel (short story?) tells the story of a handful of couples living in communist-occupied Romania. It is obvious from the beginning that all the couples are at least upper-middle class as they are driving to the dinner party and are speaking of the various ways that Bazil (their host for the evening) manipulates his power and social standing to gain extra privileges like gas, coffee, and fancy food. In the beginning, this is impressive to the couples but as the evening goes on they seem to become disgusted with their hosts’ displays of excess and wish to not be associated with them. 

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to find interesting photos for these posts, but I will not stop including them because I feel like they give me an opportunity to add a little Easter egg of personality.

The way in which the dinner party is described is interesting, Manea uses a lot of repetition and descriptive language to convey the overall feeling of shameful pleasure the party experiences. The guests and the hosts all enjoy lots of food and drinks and the narrator describes them enjoying it as if the characters are starving and this is the first taste of food they’ve had in a while. It’s almost grotesque to read because you know that this experience is a result of some shady dealings and manipulation of power. Furthermore, the contradiction between their meal and experience and their conversation is striking. Here they are enjoying rich food and drink but also talking about the corrupt and unfair treatment of their society. After the events of the dinner party, neither of the invited couples are interested in maintaining any sort of relationship with the hosts which further proves their feelings of guilt.

I cannot believe that the semester is well over halfway over. Maybe it’s because I was busy or just distracted but it really flew by.

The subject of the Trenchcoat is immediately confusing and intriguing. When Dina first brings up the subject with Felicia, Felicia is immediately defensive and denies the possibility that the trenchcoat could belong to either her or her husband. This defensive response is confusing the reader because as far as we are concerned it is simply a trenchcoat. However, as the plot develops it becomes abundantly clear that it is not simply a trenchcoat. The mystery of the Trenchcoat drives everyone crazy because although it appears to have no real consequence on its own, the implications of it are alarming. The novel takes place in a dictator state in which public spaces do not feel safe and everyone must watch what they say or do because someone is always watching/listening. The only assumed safe space is their own residences, however, the presence of the Trenchcoat implies that they are not as safe in their own homes as they think. The point of the unassuming Trenchcoat (I think) is that it is unassuming, there is nothing special about it. As Ali says on page 240, “and so this drop that overflows a glass that’s already been running over for a long time— this drop is not a drop of blood. A simple extra drop, like so many others”.  The characters are living in a society that has become so controlled and over-monitored that the simple addition of the Trenchcoat is enough to drive them all to paranoia.

Question: The one character that seems the most mysterious but also involved with the plot is “The Kid”, what do you think is his importance to the story and why he became so involved with the Beldeanu’s business?