A review by gleefulreader
The Little Communist Who Never Smiled by Lola Lafon

5.0

The Little Communist Who Never Smiled is a fascinating re-imagining of the life of Nadia Comaneci as told through the narrator and her imagined dialogue with Nadia herself while writing her biography. While the set-up is rather odd (and might leave you reaching for your phone to sort out how much of what is written is accurate), ultimately it works. The biographical details are interesting and I did spend a fair bit of time googling to see video of the routines or biographies of individuals referred to in the book. However, the bigger payoff comes in the deeper examination of the use of the female gymnasts and their bodies as a battleground in the propaganda war within Romania, between east and west, and between the western bloc countries themselves, and the imagined effect this had on the girls themselves. For a fairly slim novel, this book covers a lot of territory. Highly recommended.