Eye for an Eye: A Review of Perestroika by João Cerqueira

As a historical fiction novel, João Cerqueira encapsulates Soviet Union and Communist history during and around the time of Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev’s reign over the USSR with dignity and respect for historical European dictatorship. Not to be confused with Mikhail Gorbachev’s Perestroika, a political regime designed to eliminate the Era of Stagnation and alternatively reform the political framework to resemble a new and improved government, Cerqueira uses the title as a foreshadowing of hope for the Soviet Union in its coming years. Perestroika reminds me of epistolary writings, which are novels written in stationary, letter-like fashion, and Cerqueira’s work is similarly sectioned by a variety of Slavian people telling the audience their struggles in Slavia during the late 1990s.

Cerqueira begins by introducing readers to Slavia and its geographical, political, and economical importance to Perestroika; he uses them as the framework in which he organizes sectors of Slavia and its characteristics. For a brief moment above, I mentioned that Cerqueira presents ideas through an epistolary-like style, and he continues this format for the entirety of the work with dynamic rhythm and flow in how he portrays one character to the next; it is important to note that while Cerqueira incorporates dozens of characters, he is formulating an influx of stories that simultaneously connect beautifully. For example, readers begin with Alfred Ionescu at the Palace of Arts after describing its qualities; readers then transition to Zut Zdanhov denouncing the working man’s lifestyle depicted in a piece hung in the Palace of the Art; and finally Maria Kirchner comes to play as a representation of one who lives a working man’s lifestyle the original painting Zut Zdanhov openly mocked. This stepping stone effect creates an easy read for the audience to grasp the severity of Slavia.

Right off the bat, Cerqueira conveys concentration camps by describing the re-education camp in Slavia. Each inmate at the camp has a different sentence and there for various reasons. Much like Nazi camps, each incoming inmate was confiscated of personal property, shaved, washed and humiliated, and given directions for blankets and a temporary wooden bunk. It did not matter which conviction you received, because each inmate received the same treatment and could have experienced “the snowman,” or being hosed down outside and left to die in the frigid weather. Cerqueira provides readers with a variety of convictions from rape, murder, incest, and theft, but he distinctively notates the political unrest in the Soviet Union/Slavia through inmates who have been falsely accused of sabatage, or conspiring against the state.

Kirchner is named as one of the many inmates accused of sabotage. As a painter, he used his art to criticize and undermine the President of Slavia; his subtle stabs and criticality through use of colors and portrayed mannerisms ultimately caused the Party to “save their dignity” by placing Kirchner in jail solely based on assumed judgements. This, in turn, as could have been predicted, created rumors and, therefore, led him to imprisonment until sentencing by the Party. While in the re-education camp, Kirchner quickly learns the motivations of the Party he so strongly believes is against the people. In a conversation, he shared this information with a cook; “All wars start because of food. This is humanity’s tragedy. It’s not an accident that the Jews don’t eat pork. The Nazis knew what they were doing. If cooks ruled the world, it would be very different. The trouble with the Party is that it has no idea how to manage food. The people are hungry? They are, but it’s because the Party doesn’t know how to look after the available food resources.” The conversation between Kirchner and the cook illuminates much light into the Party’s regime to strategically remove all food sources so those in Slavia have no way to survive on their own. Evil people in Slavian politics are behind this organized attack to intentionally remove all necessities, hoping the people rely more upon the government for guidance. Slavian government control is presented here perfectly as a representation of what the Soviet Union epitomized in their Communist reign. The primary means of control during the Soviet Union Era was censorship of all sources that remotely critiqued the communist regime. Paintings, books, radio shows, and even one-on-one conversations were all at risk. If any individual violated the censorship rules and regulations, it could result in loss of income and employment, food supply, and/or imprisonment. Things of this nature are commonly seen in modern day China and North Korea; both its nation’s leaders have taken all media control to “maintain obedience.”

Government interference was closely monitored in the Soviet Union, and Cerqueira does an excellent job highlighting the ridiculousness of Communism’s limiting power for the people in Perestroika.  He makes a comment on Capitalism to bring this idea to full circle. He writes, “Why do you think capitalism is successful? Because of freedom and democracy? No, it’s because of the wealth. Capitalism only guarantees a bare minimum of freedom to the citizen, but it allows him to grow rich…Coca-Cola is a water with additives of petrol and cocaine the Americans invented and the world’s youth is getting addicted. Coca-Cola is the face of capitalist success.” Capitalism to those in the re-education camp see it as a gateway to Communism. Once the wealth is accumulated, it immediately turns into pride, only going downhill from there. It truly seems that Cerqueira requires the audience to heed this warning, saying Capitalism is good when it is used for the betterment of the people, not the individual.

Cerqueira portrays pride throughout Perestroika as the sole intention behind Slavian politicians. He writes, “The rich man was able to rule the country and look at his own interests at the same time, which brought him nothing but benefits. Just weeks after he was elected as ruler, he passed a law to stimulate the economy. Part of the revenue from taxes would be devoted to help animal breeders, merchants, and manufacturers. The people were overjoyed because they thought many families would be supported. However, the ruler decided that only three businesses would receive the subsidy: exactly those that belonged to the ruler.” The rich man/ruler are one in the same to Cerqueira, and they both destroy all morale, strength, and judgment around them to sustain and maintain the maximum capacity of power, even if it means to take it away from others.

Perestroika is a powerful story about fictional characters living in Slavia during the period of political unrest in the USSR/Soviet Union/Communist Russia. Cerqueira uniquely demonstrates Communism’s downfall in the Soviet Union in a graspable capacity through Perestroika, making readers wonder how easily it relates to the modern world. The novel is unlike any other historical fiction piece on the market. If you enjoy Russian History or even political dictatorship, Perestroika is the work for you; it will reinvent your perspective of Capitalism and the dangers of Communism so many people today believe is the ultimate means of power and control.

Perestroika
By João Cerqueira
Montreal & New York: 8th House Publishing, 2024; 406pp

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