Long Journey Home – A Prague Love Story by Helen Notzl, reviewed by Karen Alison

390 pages, available as eBook ($13.99), paperback ($20.99) or hardcover ($28.99) here.

At age four, Helen Notzl made a daring escape with her mother and brother from the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. But that was only the beginning of Notzl’s adventures recounted in this passionate, forthright and harrowing memoir.

This is a book about the search for home, family, belonging, and the quest to love and be loved. In many ways, it’s a quintessentially Canadian story – the author grew up in a safe environment where she was educated and had the physical needs of life satisfied, yet she longed for the people, places and language of the country she was forced to leave behind. She needed food for her soul.

In adulthood, Helen set out to reconnect with that world, and returned to Prague. In those days, visiting the historic city was not a simple matter of booking a ticket and finding a hotel. Notzl wanted to live in Prague and was soon forced to confront the bizarre capriciousness of the communist officials – a terrifying cat-and-mouse game in which she was expected to become a spy in exchange for a permit to stay in the country.

After the freedom of life in Canada, Prague was a shock, full of unexpected restrictions and dangers. Notzl was almost arrested by two plainclothes policemen for singing “Summertime” while she walked down the street. Being Canadian, she was released, but for Czech citizens the repercussions were severe for equally innocent activities.

Notzl pulls no punches in this beautifully written book. She unflinchingly details many harsh realities of the regime that almost destroyed her country of birth, and the cruelty and nepotism that turned the thriving Czech culture and economy into a shambles of apathy, suspicion, and neglect.

Despite the obstacles, Helen was able to make a life for herself in Prague and find her extended family. Their warm and loving response was a testament to the fact that even the worst regime cannot completely destroy the bonds of blood.

Helen Notzl

And she discovered friends in Prague who refused to submit to the Communist ideology: artists, writers and others who looked for ways to express their creativity, find joy in life, and keep their spirits alive under soul-deadening conditions – the true Bohemians. She fell in love and began a relationship with Karel, an artist, who might have become her husband.

But the political regime had other ideas and, for the terrible crime of loving a Czech citizen, Helen was given one day to put her affairs in order before choosing between the equally unattractive options of being thrown out of the country or going to jail for an unspecified length of time. (There’s more to that story, but you’ll have to read the book to learn about it.)

This bitter separation created havoc in the lives of both Helen and Karel, with painful consequences that played out over years. Karel was ultimately betrayed not only by his country but by his own family in the worst possible ways.

Helen, returning to Canada, was more fortunate. After a period of devastation, she created a loving marriage with Walter Keyser, a Canadian businessman, whom she met while they worked on her project to found the Pauline McGibbon Cultural Centre. Never one to be idle, Notzl developed a successful international career as a coach while raising a son with Walter. Even so, she was continually haunted by her love for Karel, Prague, and the homeland that had been stolen from her not just in childhood, but again, in adulthood.

Notzl is a keen observer, particularly of emotional realities. Her memoir is filled with rich detail and reads like a novel – a tense thriller that had me anxiously turning pages to find out what would happen next.

This is not a memoir for the faint-of-heart. Long Journey Home is both a frank love story and a searing indictment of oppression and bullying in all their forms – political, sexual, social, and relational. It is a celebration of independence of thought and life choices – and a call to risk the heart to live life to its fullest.

* **

Note:  Quick Brown Fox welcomes your book reviews – or any kind of review of anything, anywhere or anybody. If you want to review your favourite coffee shops or libraries, babysitters or lovers (no real names please), go for it. See examples of book reviews here (and scroll down); other reviews here (and scroll down).

QBF also welcomes essays about a favourite book or about your experience of reading or writing – and other essays, too. Read a few essays on the blog to get a taste of what other writers have done (see here and scroll down).

Submit to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Include a short bio at the end of your piece and attach a photo of yourself if you have one that’s okay.

Karen Alison is the author of two natural health websites and three novels you've never heard of. She spends her time with dogs, trees, and a lot of homemade kombucha tea. She actually likes broccoli and is the only person on the planet who doesn't own a cell phone.

See Brian’s schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.