Swedish Tango: A Novel [Hardcover]

Alyson Richman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2004

Octavio Ribeiro is a rising movie star in Chile when, at the request of his literary hero, Pablo Neruda, he agrees to serve as a media trainer in the presidential campaign of Salvador Allende. This involvement exposes Octavio and his family -- especially his wife, Salome -- to the ruthless kidnapping and terror tactics of Allende's rival, Pinochet, until they escape to political exile in Sweden.

Kaija and her husband, Dr. Samuel Rudin, are also living as expatriates in Sweden. Rudin, a psychiatrist, specializes in treating people like Salome who have been traumatized by war and political upheaval. As the couples' destinies intersect, they must each confront the secrets they have kept and acknowledge the painful truth that personal choices can result in tragic, irrevocable consequences.

Richman deftly explores the complex landscape of lives shaped by political events beyond their control in a deeply moving and beautifully rendered second novel. From the author of the

critically acclaimed "The Mask Carver's Son" comes "Swedish Tango," a powerful story of two couples from opposite ends of the earth who seek refuge in Sweden, where their lives intertwine in a poignant dance with destiny.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two couples seek to escape their painful pasts and find asylum in Sweden in this intricate, occasionally melodramatic novel by Richman (The Mask Carver’s Son). Salomé de Ribero’s tranquil life in Santiago, Chile, with her beloved husband Octavio, a film star and poet, and their three children, is shattered when Octavio’s political alliances put the family in danger. Octavio finds himself on the wrong side after General Augusto Pinochet takes power in a violent coup, and Salomé is kidnapped and tortured. Octavio, consumed by guilt, desperately tries to free her. After the family’s escape to Sweden, Salomé’s story intertwines with that of Dr. Samuel Rudin, a French Jew whose parents fled to Peru during the Holocaust; now he’s a therapist who treats recent survivors of torture and war. As he works with Salomé, Dr. Rudin must admit his attraction to her and confront his own troubled relationship with his wife, Kaija. Richman presents an engrossing examination of the prisons people create for themselves and the way they accustom themselves to suffering until liberation seems as painful as captivity. This is an ambitious exploration of political and personal struggles, but Richman heaps too much misery on her long-suffering characters.
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Review

Mim Eichler Rivas

coauthor of "Finding Fish" with Antwone Fisher

"Swedish Tango" is an elegant and deftly crafted novel. [Alyson Richman] has done a masterful job of pacing that reads much like a tango...gathering force and tempo that takes hold of the reader and doesn't let go.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; 1st Atria Books Hardcover Ed edition (September 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743476425
• ISBN-13: 978-0743476423
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #753,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful tapestry, February 7, 2005

By 

John G. Comas "Amazon user" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swedish Tango: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book a very well researched piece of historical fiction which combines political unrest in Chili with the effects of the Holocaust on the survivors who fled and the result is a wonderful tale of love, family, and the will to overcome the most difficult of obstacles, both physical and emotional.

The book is two stories, told separately yet simultaneously in a fashion I found quite compelling, which ultimately overlap as Ms. Richman brings the entire story together in the book's memorable coda.

If you enjoy reading, I wholeheartedly recommend this book, it certainly has everything I look for and enthusiastically enjoy in a novel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swedish Tango, October 24, 2004

By 

Gustav Seliger (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swedish Tango: A Novel (Hardcover)

This novel of two couples; wounded surrivors of several political upheavels and wars of the twentieth century, is beautifully written. This romantic, but dark story, focuses on the power of love to heal, albeit incompletely. Its relative bleakness and pessimism, rings true and gives the novel a level of authenticity that is seldom found in contemporary historical fiction. I strongly recommend this book.

G. Seliger

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars intriguing look at family vs. society, September 29, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swedish Tango: A Novel (Hardcover)

In the 1970s, Pablo Neruda asks movie star Octavio Ribeiro to teach Salvador Allende how to work the media while he runs for the Chilean presidency. Only for his personal idol Neruda would Octavio get involved with politics, but he pays quite a price after Allende's reign falls; thugs of Allende's opponent Pinochet abduct and torture his wife Salome to frighten Allende supporters and to personally make Octavio pay. After Salome is rescued, she, Octavio and their children receive political asylum in Sweden.

Salome visits Dr. Samuel Rudin, an expert on post-traumatic stress syndrome. Samuel has his own troubles as his French Jewish parents never mentally escaped the Holocaust though they fled to Peru before Hitler's invasion. His wife Kaija also has parental issues as her parents sent her to the safety of adoption in Sweden during WWII. Samuel and Salome have a brief affair, but the doctor knows it's wrong and ends it.

Two decades later, Salome is asked to testify against Pinochet. With Samuel dead for years, she turns to Octavio, whom she still loves, asking him what she should do as she fears repercussions.

SWEDISH TANGO is an intriguing look at family vs. society told by the perspectives of Salome and Octavio. The story line is at its best when it places an Ayn Rand lens on societal ethics against personal loyalty and safety. When the tale spins into a possible second chance romance, it still hooks readers interested in what happens to the lead couple, but also loses its deep thought provoking philosophical questions on the needs pf an individual and a family against the demands of deadly leadership and a nation.

Harriet Klausner