“They’re always watching. Even when you think you’re alone, they’re there.”
The Appointment follows a young Romanian woman, a factory worker, as she rides a tram to an interrogation with the secret police in Ceaușescu’s totalitarian regime. The novel unfolds through her fragmented, stream-of-consciousness narration, blending present-day dread with memories of oppression, betrayal, and survival.
Chapter 1: The Tram Ride
The protagonist boards the tram, mentally preparing for her scheduled interrogation. As the tram moves, she observes fellow passengers, wondering who might be an informant. Her thoughts drift to past encounters with the Securitate, the secret police, and the constant surveillance that dictates her life.
Chapter 2: The Factory
She recalls her job at the clothing factory, where she sewed notes into men’s suits bound for Italy—pleas for help, hidden from authorities. A coworker’s betrayal led to her discovery, marking her as a dissident. The factory becomes a symbol of both oppression and silent resistance.
Chapter 3: The Interrogations
Flashbacks reveal previous interrogations where officers alternated between threats and false kindness. She remembers the psychological torment—being forced to confess nonexistent crimes, the fear of imprisonment, and the exhaustion of maintaining lies under pressure.
Chapter 4: The Lover
Her thoughts turn to her lover, Paul, a former political prisoner. Their relationship is strained by paranoia; she suspects he may have been coerced into informing on her. The intimacy between them is overshadowed by distrust, a microcosm of life under dictatorship.
Chapter 5: The Neighbor
She remembers her neighbor, a widow who hanged herself after being harassed by the Securitate. The woman’s death haunts her, a stark reminder of the regime’s brutality and the fragility of personal defiance.
Chapter 6: The Appointment
As the tram nears its stop, her anxiety peaks. She rehearses answers, knowing the interrogation will be another ordeal of manipulation and fear. The novel ends ambiguously—her fate uncertain, but her spirit unbroken despite the suffocating oppression.
Key Ideas
- The psychological toll of living under constant surveillance.
- Dissidence through small, hidden acts of rebellion.
- The erosion of trust in personal relationships under tyranny.
- The dehumanizing machinery of totalitarian regimes.
- Memory as both a burden and a weapon against oppression.
Who should read this book?
- Readers interested in dissident literature and political oppression.
- Those drawn to psychological, stream-of-consciousness narratives.
- Fans of historical fiction set under totalitarian regimes.
- Anyone exploring themes of survival and resistance.