The story is about Boston couple Annie and Will, who move with their infant son to a city just recovering from drawn-out repression by occupying Soviet forces. It is shortly after the fall of Communism and the pair are relentlessly trying to integrate themselves into a new country that is about to gain back its momentum. Their life in Budapest suddenly takes a new turn when Annie gets involved in helping Edward Weiss, a Jewish-American veteran of World War II, who recklessly seeks retaliation against his former son-in-law for allegedly murdering his daughter.
“In my fiction, there is usually something from my personal experience that sparks an idea for a story. This was true for Strangers in Budapest,” says Keener about her latest release, a complete departure for her. Her previous works, Night Swim and Women in Bed, were novels that explored variations of love. “I’m always interested in the trials of personal relationships and the dynamics of love,” adds the Boston-born author whose career has also involved working on heavyweight publications such as The Atlantic and the Boston Globe Magazine.
However, it didn’t come easy for the writer to change the subject matter from American culture to this dark period in European history. “I was challenged to explore how history shapes our personal lives and the decisions we make – often unconsciously – every day because of our cultural legacy. I wanted to delve deeper into the place where personal dynamics and trauma intersect with socially induced traumas—such as war.”
While enmeshed with a shadowy history of Hungary’s war-torn era, Strangers in Budapest is also an emotionally charged page-turner, set in a city that is rousing from a haunted past. “Like my protagonist in the novel, Annie Gordon, I lived in Budapest for a year in the mid-1990s with my husband and our infant son. It was a unique and fascinating time and left an indelible impression on me,” says the author. “I thought this environment – so rich with conflicting sensibilities – would provide an ideal setting for my American characters, all of whom are also struggling with their sense of identity, haunted past and unsure future.”
As to why she chose Budapest for the setting of her book, Keener extols the virtues of a gorgeous and magical city which has a way of seducing anyone who visits. “I was intrigued by the city’s complexity, its beauty and decay, its sadness and tragic history. As a Jew, I was haunted by Hungary’s support of Hitler. Edward, who is one of the main characters in my book, is an American Jew who helped liberate a concentration camp in World War II. I wanted to address this aspect of Hungary’s darker side.”
When here, Keener met several Hungarians who provided tales of real-life experiences for her then-future release. “All of the characters are fictional, but a few are inspired by people I met along the way,” she explains. During her stay in Hungary, Keener was also intrigued by the differences between how Americans and Hungarians approach life. “Americans are often overzealous in their positivity and enthusiasm for the future. Hungarians are more reserved and cautious – understandably so. Yet when I lived there, with the Russians newly gone, there was a tremendous sense of possibility washing through Budapest.”
The novelist also made lasting friendships here: “On our first visit to Budapest in 1991, we met László Szotyory, a well-known Hungarian artist. We bought one of his paintings and became life-long friends”. Keener also has nice memories of Zsófia, the family babysitter who helped take care of their son during their stay. Besides bonding with the locals and discussing Hungarian history with them, Keener relied on her daily journals she wrote during her time here. She also used maps and travel books to work with.
Looking ahead, Keener is full of plans, including writing a new novel that she says will take place in the present time. “Mostly, I don’t like to talk about work-in-progress in the early stages because things often shift direction unexpectedly and talking about it can take the wind out of my creative sail – so to speak,” she continues. When asked about any plans to return to Budapest, Keener’s answer comes right away. “Absolutely. Now that my novel is published, I’m eager to return. I can’t wait to see how the city has changed since my year living there. We lived a block from the Danube and spent many days on Margaret Island and up on Castle Hill. I fell in love with the city – the kind of love that refuses to fade.”
Strangers in Budapest is available online at amazon.com and from Algonquin Books. To find out more about the author, visit jessicakeener.com.
