Desiderium
Albania, bordered by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas to the west, Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south, is perhaps the European country of which we know the least. Not only was it hard to reach, but for most of the latter half of the 20th century it was a hardline totalitarian state with strict travel and visa restrictions.
All the more welcome is Julie Furxhi’s debut novel, which casts light on the country’s recent turbulent history as experienced by three young women: Mira, who joined the resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1911; Val, who fought with the Partizans against the German occupiers in 1943/44; and Dita, an assistant curator of the Cave Artifacts Team in a Tirana museum in 2000, who treasures decoding the past’s mysteries.
Although heavily inspired by real people, the women in particular, all the characters are fictional. Mira and Val tell their own stories while Dita’s is a third-person narrative that in the end unites all three. Each story unfolds bit by bit, and this back and forth is at first confusing, but each woman has a unique voice. Furxhi is adept at conveying the customs and traditions of the different time periods through her language and phrasing so that Mira’s circumscribed life, ruled as it is by the Kanun, a compilation of customary laws within the tribes of Albania, is almost archaic compared with Dita’s post-communist, modern world. What all three women have in common is a fierce desire for freedom and a deep love of their native land, for which they willingly suffer sorrow and loss. However, this hardship is lightened by hope and golden moments of happiness. A valuable insight into a fascinating country. Strongly recommended.
