In 1968 however it was going through some pretty tough times. Increasing tensions between Prague and Moscow, with student activists at the forefront is the backdrop for the story focussing on two couples. Sam is a British diplomat in the embassy in Prague, fluent speaker of both Russian and Czech, walking on hot coals to maintain good relationships with both sides of the looming conflict. He falls in love with a student, Lenka, who introduces him to a bunch of fellow activists. Hardly ideal activity for a senior diplomat to be engaging in. At the same time he finds himself caught up in helping two Russians seeking political asylum.
The other couple are two very young English backpackers on summer holidays from their studies at Oxford. Working class James is crazy in love with privileged, spoilt, self absorbed and intensely annoying Ellie who is taking the whole 'summer of love' thing completely literally. In true live-in-the-moment fashion they decide where their next travel stop will be on the flip of a coin, hence their arrival in Prague at the worst time. James is trying to be a decent caring thoughtful young man, but in some ways is as annoying as Ellie. I do wonder why they were even in the story, because other than giving an 'English' view, they contribute very little. And as for personal growth coming out of their Prague experience, maybe a little.
With all this emotion and star crossed lover stuff going set against an atmosphere of impending gloom, the ending was a huge disappointment. Sam and Lenka are left dangling somewhere high above the Czech medical system in some sort of limbo land, with James and Ellie still doing a coin toss. The only thing I can think of is that the author is plotting a sequel where James himself becomes either a diplomat, an investigative journalist, an activist, or the founder of some new free love commune; Ellie either marries a diplomat, becomes a rock group groupie, or slips into obscurity; Sam either continues his relentless rise up the diplomat ranks or becomes a double agent; Lenka sticks with Sam as his diplomat wife or flees the country with or without him to continue her fight against communism on the other side.
It is a light read, but also a good introduction to an event we know little about, and the power of the communist machine to destroy any form of resistance to its dogma and existence, something we are continually reminded of at the moment with the ongoing unrest in the Ukraine and Crimea region of the old USSR.
No comments:
Post a Comment