The Barefoot Road

Curse the funeral, curse the fact we have to die, curse the fact we have to love, curse the night and curse the day.'' A dark night is violently lit by torches burning bright. Screams, people running, cries demanding blood. In a village in Transylvania, people belonging to a different ethnicity are violently driven away from their homes and their land, victims of an incomprehensible hatred. The culprits succeed in driving the Others away. For a few years, they live in a fictional, oppressive peace, guided by superstitions and corrupted priests. Until comeuppance knocks on their doors. One by one...The Barefoot Road is the definition of exquisite Folklore Literature. She journeyed past haunted trees, waving their twings towards the sky, fingers reaching for nothing but cloud and vapour. Then she arrived. A place of nothing. Of complete quiet, without light or dark, hope or dread. A place where the soul drank and was drunk. Here, she asked the spirits for help. By the sighing in the branches, she knew she was heard.'' Vivienne Vermes makes excellent use of the rich, mystical tradition of the Romanian legends and draws parallels between Folklore and the theme of racism. She creates characters that have a basis on archetypes of fables but turns them into fully fleshed-out protagonists. A mysterious girl who brings change and danger. A wise old woman who is deeply connected to the pagan past of her land and has paid a heavy price for the villagers' lust for blood and their blindness to the different. A man, cursed with a despicable wife, who decides to follow his heart, disregarding the consequences. A corrupted priest. A community that justifies the violence of the mob through tradition and legends. Many of them stuck into religious prejudices and only a few are wise enough to understand Faith as a possible source of hope and love. The imagery of this novel is truly outstanding. The customs of Lazarica's day, the dances, the ferocious feelings of love and faith and enmity. The firm connection to the land and the haunting folklore of Romania. I come from the Balkan region so I know the lore of each country and I could smell and feel the air, I could 'see' the unique Balkan beauty. It is a novel that I would characterize as brutal, merciless and magnificent in its simplicity with writing that is confident, poetic, violent and whimsical. The cawing of a crow brought her back to the road, and the cross, and the day. The visions of her mind receded until they were patches of light fading behind her closed eyes. When she opened them, the wind had dropped, the sun was high in the sky, and on the ground were three people holding hands.'

The prose and attention to detail is magnificent. The descriptions are vivid and authentic. Each character is well drawn and very human.

I had heard "never judge a book by its cover.” But it would not be wrong to say that you can do this with this book, the story is as brilliant as the cover is beautiful. The cover of The Barefoot Road, a beautiful painting decorated with different colors, which attracts the book. The silent dark night, the flames of fire rising from inside the house, and blood flowing on the road, on one hand fear-less couple Everything that creates an eagerness to turn the pages of the book. The title of the book, The Barefoot Road, is as appealing as its cover. The blurb of the story is described as ‘a fable for our time about racial division, set in historical Transylvania'. The story begins with a young woman found, emaciated and unconscious, in the mountains surrounding a village in Transylvania. This story is a critical social commentary which has huge relevance for today's audience. The language is simple and lucid. Narration is cool and engaging throughout the book. The pace is perfect - neither too slow or fast. Recommended to all the book lovers.

The Barefoot Road is a haunting historical fiction, which I could not put down. I was so intrigued when I saw the synopsis for The Barefoot Road, I just had to read it. And I am so glad I did. It is so beautifully written and there is a real haunting quality to the story too. I read it in just one day. I found myself so enchanted by the story and the characters. The writing style was beautiful and there were so many gorgeous quotes woven throughout the text "He moved towards her and kissed the top of her head, smoothing her hair with his hands, as if to make everything the way it should be, and rarely was, except in moments that vanished like the pitter of rain.” The Barefoot Road describes life in a mountain village in such vivid detail it is both beautiful, with its sense of community and brutal, with the mob mentality that can overtake a community with devastating results. The events of the plot quickly escalate in the second half of the book, almost to the point of chaos. The wide range of characters evoked all sorts of emotions - they were all so vivid and well written. It was heartbreaking to watch as the village unravels and the innocent acts of children could be used to justify evil. The ending of the book was a heartbreaking and haunting as many of the darker moments of the book, and the sense of loss was profound.

The story is beautifully timeless. It is historical fiction, but could have taken place at pretty much any time in any place and, sadly, is still perfectly relevant to the present day as well. We see an isolated rural community turn from being open and supportive to closed and aggressive when their fears are maliciously manipulated by a power-hungry man. Vivienne Vermes takes time to fully describe the Transylvanian setting and to realise each of her characters so I could easily understand why each of them made certain choices in the second half of the novel. The pace is cleverly increased throughout so, after a shocking introductory chapter, we are lulled by gentle depictions of friendly village life. I appreciated how this allows readers to 'forget' the initial violence in much the same way as the villagers themselves chose to 'forget' what had been done by the previous generation.