Much like Aleandro, Eduard Kovaks, Eva’s husband, is inspired by the real-life Dr. András Seibriger, who, during the fifty-two days of the Budapest siege, helped save the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians in a subterranean hospital buried deep under Castle Hill. Originally, the Hospital in the Rock was equipped to accommodate no more than 120 people, but according to records, during the heaviest days of bombardment, its capacity was exceeded more than tenfold. Beds were pushed together to create extra room for the deluge of patients, while nurses and medics—like Eduard, Eva, and Tamara—endured the harsh conditions themselves, often working without running water or food for days and sleeping only sporadically on vacant stretchers. At the end of the war the hospital was closed, yet when the Hungarian Revolution erupted in 1956, Dr. Seibriger returned to help save the lives of freedom fighters who found themselves under relentless fire by Soviet troops. Unlike Eduard in the novel, Seibriger, who suffered from a heart condition, did not flee Hungary after the uprising (despite imminent danger of arrest or execution), but he did lose the right to practice medicine and was persecuted by the Soviet regime until his death in 1977. Today, the hospital is a museum filled with wax reenactments of those brutal scenes. One depicts a young Dr. Seibriger attending to injured patients during the days of the revolution.
Lastly, while Eva is drawn entirely from my imagination, she embodies the courageous, selfless spirit of wartime nurses and resistance fighters—many from noble families like her own—who stepped bravely in harm’s way to fight against injustice and persecution. She perhaps more than any character in the book exemplifies what we are capable of in times of crisis, and how it is that in the most desperate times we discover who we truly are. I hope her story has inspired you as much as it has me.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MY UTMOST GRATITUDE FOR SEEING this novel in print goes to:
My wonderful editors, Daniella Wexler and Loan Le, for their faith and close guidance, for the time they so generously dedicated to this project, and for helping me mine this story for hidden gems.
My agent, Elizabeth Copps, for being a steadfast partner through several revisions of this novel, and the esteemed Maria Carvainis for embracing it with enormous enthusiasm and heart.
I’m also hugely indebted to my publisher, Libby McGuire, and the entire talented team at Atria Books who’ve left an imprint on this novel, especially editorial assistant Jade Hui, Gena Lanzi in publicity, and Raaga Rajagopala in marketing.
And finally, I cannot express enough appreciation to my family—my sons, Luca and Dominic; my mother, Alexandra; and my sister, Arina. Finishing this book in the tumultuous year of 2020 would have been impossible without your loving support, encouragement, and patience. Philippe, I adore you for your unwavering belief in what I do, for the delicious dinners you serve me at my desk, for burning the midnight oil with me, listening to my writing. Thank you for being my rock and living this dream with me.
WHEN THE SUMMER WAS OURS
ROXANNE VELETZOS
This reading group guide for When the Summer Was Ours includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
INTRODUCTION
HUNGARY, 1943. AS WAR ENCROACHES on the country’s borders, willful young Eva César arrives in the idyllic town of Sopron to spend her last summer as a single woman on her aristocratic family’s estate. Longing for freedom from her domineering father, she counts the days to her upcoming nuptials to a kind and dedicated doctor whom she greatly admires.
But Eva’s life changes when she meets Aleandro, a charming and passionate Romani fiddler with a love for painting. With time and profound class differences against them, Eva and Aleandro still fall deeply in love—only to be separated by a brutal act of hatred.
As their lives diverge and they are each swept into the tides of war and its aftermath, they try to forget what they once shared. But as the years pass, the haunting memory of their romance will reshape their destinies time and again.
From the horrors of the Second World War to the tensions of the 1956 Hungarian uprising and beyond, When the Summer Was Ours is a sweeping story about the toll of secrets, the blurred lines between desire and loyalty, sacrifice and obsession, and the endurance of the human spirit.
TOPICS & QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
At the beginning of the novel as the war escalates and before her intended wedding, Eva heads to Sopron for the summer, knowing it could be her last time there having it feel like “the Sopron of her childhood.” Was there a place or vacation in your life where you had similar feelings, when you were intent on enjoying “every languid, unadventurous moment”?
When Aleandro first arrives at Dachau, he is forced to reveal his hidden sketchbook in front of a Nazi officer. Were you surprised that the officer, discovering Aleandro’s talent, chose to spare his life? Do you think he would have done the same thing if Aleandro was of Jewish descent rather than Romani? Why or why not?
From the beginning of the novel, Eva is studying to become a nurse and later continues working in the hospital after the war is over. Discuss if you think Eva’s choices went against the societal norm during that time or not. Do you think if the war had not reached Hungary, she would have pursued her medical career?
Throughout his time in the camp, Aleandro is tormented by guilt for his brothers’ deaths. How does that change when he meets Rudolf? How are his secret drawings of the camp able to free him from that guilt?
Do you agree or disagree with Dora’s decision to respond to Aleandro’s letter after the war has ended, keeping him away from Eva (and Bianca)? Do you think you would have done the same thing in her position?
Much of the second half of the book focuses on the revolution in Budapest and the fallout after the war ended. We see Eva and Bianca come upon a protest in 1956 and later Eduard is targeted by the secret police. Discuss how the Soviet occupation was similar to that of Nazi Germany a decade earlier. How were they different?
When Eva sees Aleandro again at his art show in Budapest, she is torn between her attraction to him and her loyalty to Eduard. What finally draws her into his arms? What in the end allows her to let him go and move into a future without him?
One of the prominent themes of the book is having your own chosen family, as illustrated by the relationship between Eva and Dora, and Aleandro and Rudolf. Besides the losses that brought them together, what do you think bonds these characters strongly enough to maintain lifelong relationships?
Do you agree or disagree with Eva’s choice to keep Bianca’s paternity a secret from Bianca and Aleandro until the end of Eva’s life? Why or why not?
When the Summer Was Ours is divided into four parts—“Hauntings,” “Roads,” “Restorations,” and “Truths.” Why do you think Roxanne Veletzos chose to structure the novel this way? How did each part contribute to the overarching narrative?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
When the Summer Was Ours tackles a popular era for historical fiction, but the primary setting of Hungary and the effects of World War II on the Romani people is unique. As mentioned in the author’s note, Veletzos witnessed society’s unacceptance of the Romani as a child and wanted to help shed light on what many refer to as “the forgotten Holocaust.” Why do you think history has largely overlooked this ethnic group?
A major topic in When the Summer Was Ours is the medical profession in time of crisis, especially the vital work of frontline medics such as Eva, Eduard, and Tamara. What other World War II novels have you read with medical settings? Discuss how these positions continue to be important in modern society and how their roles have evolved over time.
Art and its history has been heavily tied to World War II over the years. Aleandro is spared some of the atrocities at Dachau because he is “a man of arts
.” Rather than manual labor, he is tasked with creating portraits of the officers but it is his clandestine depictions of the camp that later make him a renowned artist. Aleandro’s Holocaust art was inspired by that of Latvian artist Kalman Aron. As a group, look up some of his work and discuss your favorite pieces.
More from the Author
The Girl They Left Behind
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ROXANNE VELETZOS was born in Bucharest, Romania, and moved to California with her family as a young teen. Already fluent in English, she began writing short stories about growing up in her native Eastern Europe, at first as a cathartic experience as she transitioned to a new culture. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism, she has worked as an editor, content writer, and marketing manager for a number of Fortune 500 companies. Her debut novel, published in multiple languages, is an international bestseller. Veletzos lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
SimonandSchuster.com
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Roxanne-Veletzos
@AtriaBooks @AtriaBooks @AtriaBooks
ALSO BY ROXANNE VELETZOS
The Girl They Left Behind
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by Roxanne Veletzos
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Interior design by Lexy Alemao
Cover design by Min Choi
Cover photographs © Rekha Garton / Trevillion Images, Shutterstock and iStockphoto/Getty Images
Author photograph © Eric Lindstrom
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Veletzos, Roxanne, author.
Title: When the summer was ours : a novel / by Roxanne Veletzos.
Description: First Washington Square Press/Atria Paperback edition. | New York : Atria Books, 2021.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020055003 | ISBN 9781982152130 (paperback) | ISBN 9781982152147 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Family life—Hungary—Fiction. | World War, 1939–1945—Hungary—Fiction. | GSAFD: Historical fiction. | War stories.
Classification: LCC PS3622.E437 W48 2021 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020055003
ISBN 978-1-9821-5213-0
ISBN 978-1-9821-5214-7 (ebook)
When the Summer Was Ours Page 27
