Description

Mihaela Buruiană writes of love, choice, and doubt. The lives in her stories cross. They span the 1990s and the present. They follow children and teens in the years after communism. Then they turn to adult life. Village lanes and games outside flats give way to office work. Days grow busy.

This is her first book of short stories. It deals with private lives and strained bonds. People leave their clashes unspoken. They face fear and trauma, and set limits on others. The stories look at gender, faith, and brief love affairs. People feel torn between being alone and being part of a group. Social media and dating sites shape some of their ties.

Scenes take place with families, in schools, and at large firms' offices. Others unfold in small Berceni flats. Pop culture helps mark the early years. There are Metallica shirts and Beverly Hills 90210 posters.

The point of view shifts among people whose lives touch. They include Lenuș, Cami, Cătălina, Andra, and Alex. Anuța, Ștefana, Liliana, and Onuța appear too. Each person's own life matters most. The aim is not one shared view of their age group. Daily tasks, debts, and beach days sit beside times of crisis. So do tense scenes in kitchens. People of different ages struggle to talk and grasp each other's meaning.

Buruiană pays close heed to detail and keeps a brisk pace. She writes sharp speech and conveys sadness without excess feeling. Her words change as people age and their feelings shift. The book has two parts, with an intermezzo, or break, between them. It forms part of the n’autor fiction series.