Red Hands

A deeply compelling tale of a woman caught inside the destruction of a Communist regime. Iordana is a normal girl, brought up with all the perks of Romania's corrupt communist regime. Then she falls in love and marries the eldest son of her parents' arch-rival, Romania's monstrous dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.They become the in-laws from hell, but she brings them their only grandson.And then there's the 1989 revolution, when crowds will kill anyone with the Ceausescu name.In all the blood and chaos, can Iordana keep her little son alive? Drawn from eighty hours of unique interviews and told in Iordana's own voice; this true-life tale spins readers into the pleasures, excesses and horrors of late twentieth-century Europe.

About the Author :
Colin W. Sargent is the founding editor and publisher of the award-winning Portland Magazine in Maine, USA. Colin teaches Creative Writing at William & Mary in Williamsburg and is the author of Museum of Human Beings and The Boston Castrato, currently optioned for film by Gideon Films. He has a PhD in creative writing from Lancaster University and has also written 3 collections of poetry. Colin edited Approach Magazine, the US Navy's international flying magazine, whose contributors included Tom Wolfe.

Review :
'Red Hands gives a unique insider’s view of the rise and fall of the dystopian regime of Nicolae and his wife, Elena. It is also a love story of Iordana for the couple’s eldest son, Valentin, as told to Sargent by Iordana during her exile in Old Orchard Beach, where she hid for several years after the bloody 1989 revolution... The taut, vivid writing in Red Hands – there are no wasted words – makes for a fast-paced, heartfelt book for our time.' - Maine Sunday Telegram “Sargent’s work reads like memoir, written in Iordana’s voice. But Sargent’s skilled writing provides vivid images, lively character studies, a portrait of a brutal, controlling regime, insights into the nature of love, friendship and courage, and tension maintained at such a pitch, that it was almost a relief when the blood eventually began to spill. In an era of books geared to gendered markets, there’s more than enough of both romance and political intrigue to satisfy both groups.”- Historical Novel Society “A very personal story of love and loss amidst senior political families. Sargent’s description of the street battles and looting in Bucharest are palpitatingly told, fully engaging the reader in the narrowness of their survival. This is a fine book and an excellent read.” – Morning Star, UK "Colin Sargent describes crafting Red Hands, his latest novel about Iordana Ceausescu, like salvaging scattered crystals from a shattered chandelier... Sargent's depiction restores her as a luminescent and resilient whole set against a turbulent background." Midwest Book Review "Sargent’s novel is both a personal story of deep romantic love and a terrifying historical lesson about life in a police state helmed by a ruthless, cult-of-personality dictator... Poignant, frightening, packed with historical nuggets—a cautionary tale for contemporary times." - Kirkus Reviews