Book Review of Astronaut! by Oana Aristide

 

Name of Book: Astronaut! 

Author: Oana Aristide

ISBN: 978-1-324-12389-7

Publisher: W.W. Norton

Type of book: Romania, 1989, Soviet Union, child, adult, fiction, mystery, government, visit by Romania's dictator, one season, secrets, unlikely friendship 

Year it was published: 2026

Summary:

A tense, darkly funny, and politically resonant novel of life under authoritarian rule.

Romania, 1989, the twilight of Ceausescu’s dictatorship: A time when every neighbor, every friend, every family member may be an informant for the regime. When news emerges of a man-eating bear terrorizing the country, two bright lives collide. Constantin, an idealistic police detective—prone to daydreaming and scribbling fairytales in his notebook for his four-year-old son—is tasked with solving the string of mysterious deaths. Lia, a rebellious, inquisitive schoolgirl pining for more color in her life, is unwittingly drawn into an elderly neighbor’s secret plot against the regime. The decisions they make amid the constant gray skies and fear of speaking out will have sweeping consequences—for themselves, for their families, and for their country. Astronaut! is a chilling, suspenseful, and resonant tale by a dynamic new novelist. 

Characters:

Main characters are Lia and Constatin, and while there are plenty of secondary characters such as Constatin's co-workers and Lia's family and friends, I will focus on main ones. Lia is an eight year old girl who becomes passionate about having colors and adding beauty to her chalk pictures. She also has an innocent view of the world and is trying to understand her parents' wishes and desires, in particular how it goes against what she knows. Constatin is a detective whose family has recently lost a child and he often feels guilty about the loss. Constatin quite often makes up unconventional fairytales to tell to his young son and although he tends to go along with the wishes of his superiors, he is not exactly happy and doesn't give up on the simple explanation. 

Theme:

Don't trust what the government promises, especially in Eastern Europe

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative, from Lia's and Constatin's points of view and begins with Lia wanting to buy her mother a birthday present but she is unsuccessful. Constatin, another main character, makes his dedbut in the next chapter, when he gets called up to help with a dead body, and both take place in separate cities, I believe (would have liked a map to be included in the book so I could see how far apart the two cities are. The story then moves on to Lia's attempts to secure colors for her and everyone's life as well as Constatin's workers and their attempts to catch the man eating "bear" as well as why and how they say its a man-eating bear. (I am of opinion that I might need to re-read the book to understand the humor) 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

N/A

Opinion:

I thought I would be able to relate to the book, namely because my family lived in Soviet Union around the same time,  and I spent my formative years there (from 1985 until 1994 when we left for USA) maybe because I was very little, I had trouble understanding the book or being able to relate it. (At the time the novel takes place I was four years old) some of the things were familiar to me from my parents' stories, that of waiting in long lines in hopes of getting something more than bread crumbs, or that of the state controlling the media and what the citizens knew. Despite the positives I had trouble understanding the actions of the police and even had a hard time understanding the whole color scheme that Lia is obsessed with. Other than that, a fun book for those who lived through the Soviet Union system. 

This was given for review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)