Description

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A dark chapter in recent human history

The first part of this novel follows the adventures of three young friends during a memorable last mountain climbing trip to a remote area of a country under the control of a ruthless authoritarian regime. During their journey, the young men have to cope with:

bear encounters,
venomous adders,
colorful locals, storms,
dangerous climbs,
flooded caves, and other challenges, as the main purpose of their trip is gradually revealed.

A second story, intertwined with the first one, focuses on a brilliant young pianist and his ill-fated quest for freedom. Urban life, in the dreary capital where the young men regularly reside, is the focus of the second part of the novel, when the friends begin to go their own separate ways and come to terms with their very different future prospects. The challenges of life in the capital, which include run-ins with feral dog packs and the secret police, are very different than those faced in the mountains, but not less dangerous. Ultimately, this is a book about friendship, the noble, irreverent and indomitable aspects of the human condition, as well as a dark chapter in recent human history, and the various ways in which different people cope with difficult and unfair conditions.

It is an often hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking exploration of the absurdities of life under an increasingly erratic dictatorship which is gradually losing its grip on the people it could never fully control.

About the Author

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Radu Guiasu was born and raised in Bucharest, Romania during the time of the Communist dictatorship led by Nicolae Ceausescu. He moved to Canada at the age of 18, following his high school graduation. Today he is a biologist and an award-winning tenured Associate Professor in the Biology Program at Glendon College, York University in Toronto.

Praise For…

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"A remarkable piece of highly enjoyable reading, and, at the same time, an eye-opener for many of those unacquainted with life in Eastern Europe during communism." —Dr. Demetrio Boltovskoy, a Senior Researcher at the University of Buenos Aires.

"A quirky account of four young compadres, doing their best to resist a crushing communist system with resilience and cynical humor." —Dr. Martin Schlaepfer, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Geneva.

"The novel is a window into the functioning of a Communist state and the ways people found to survive its arcane and illogical way of life. It is a celebration of the endurance of the human spirit in the face of dictatorship; it is a gripping human story." —Professor Emeritus Stanislav J. Kirschbaum, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, author of A history of Slovakia: the struggle for survival, and professor at York University.

"Guiasu addresses his characters’ yearning and their complex feelings about their fates with great care." —Publishers Weekly 

"Exploring themes of friendship and surviving in a world that is inherently hostile toward you, the book delivers a remarkable insight into the reality of life beyond the Iron Curtain through the eyes of young people who have never seen life outside the painful rule of a dictatorship." —Readers' Favorite 

"In a well-crafted adventure story, the reader is given a glimpse into how the soul continues to be free despite what the body must adhere to on the outside." —Readers' Favorite 

"The Faraway Mountains is thought-provoking not only on communism as a system of governance but also on our responsibilities in society." —Readers' Favorite 

"Author Radu Cornel Guiasu has a lot to offer readers in this highly immersive tale of the search for freedom, identity, and meaning, and he puts a lot of his own personal experience, culture, and attitude into the poignancy which we find as the plot is gradually revealed." —Readers' Favorite 

"The Faraway Mountains was written 34 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, allowing humor to become a perfect 'aide memoire' through classic jokes from that period, absurd situations, and an enchanting collection of descriptive vignettes that absorb and delight." —Readers' Favorite 

"This novel has the potential to satisfy many types of readers. It's a blend of tragedy, mystery, adventure, and humor, historically accurate, and a great teaching tool for those who wondered what life was really like in communist Romania." —Deviant Quill Reviews