Controlled Conversations

"Lagodzki's prose is as powerful as his plot is gripping. A historically astute tale with deep emotional impact. (...) OUR VERDICT: GET IT." Kirkus Reviews

In 1982 Soviet-controlled Poland-a time and place of suspicion and mistrust-when geopolitical forces and violent men descend upon her little town of Zygmuntowo, Emilia must decide if she's willing to risk prison or worse for self-respect and for her unexpected love.

A telephone station switchboard operator ordered to monitor all calls, Emilia overhears a mysterious coded conversation. It continues to distract her, but not as much as the growing realization that she's falling in unsanctioned love with her best friend Kalina. Meanwhile, outside the city of Frombork, Antek, a shipyard engineer and a Solidarity labor union treasurer, escapes from prison and works to recover the union's money, a task which in time leads him to Emilia's town. In the metropolitan city of Gdańsk, Roman, a secret police major, wants the money for himself and dreams of his own escape and the magical beaches of Rio de Janeiro.

As the only daughter of a local Communist Party apparatchik, Emilia has enjoyed a sheltered life, but with the advent of martial law, her mother's influence can no longer shield her. She faces choices she never expected to make when she discovers her best friend's and lover's involvement with the resistance. With new allies and enemies in town, the time to choose a side is now.

In his debut novel, Karol Lagodzki asks: What would you do?

"Lagodzki's depiction of Poland's plight is both subtle and luridly vivid; every significant character, including Roman (ostensibly an enforcer of tyranny), longs to be delivered into liberty. (...) While the novel is politically savvy, the two main plots are essentially affecting love stories-the love of Emilia for Kalina and of Antek for his wife, Dorota. (...) Lagodzki's prose is as powerful as his plot is gripping. A historically astute tale with deep emotional impact. (...) OUR VERDICT: GET IT." - Kirkus Reviews

"Ultimately, Controlled Conversations is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming odds. Karol perceptively holds a mirror up to his audience, asking them to decide what price they would pay for freedom from oppression--a timely question in today's world." - Michael Gawdzik for NUVO

"Karol Lagodzki illuminates the shadows of the Soviet-controlled era. Lagodzki's illuminating narrative transports readers to a time of political turmoil, where every page overflows with intrigue and intense emotion. Get ready to embark on a journey where love defies all odds and suspense lingers in the air, captivating your every sense. Lagodzki's storytelling prowess shines through, promising an unforgettable reading experience that will leave you spellbound." - Suzie Housley for Midwest Book Review

"Once you start reading Controlled Conversations by Karol Lagodzki, there is no putting it down." - Frank Mutuma for Readers' Favorite

"In his debut novel, Karol Lagodzki gives a literary read, layered in psychological insight and suspense, but which is at heart a love story-one fraught with tension and desire and rendered in beauty. As a queer writer, I was drawn particularly to the central relationship of Controlled Conversations, a lesbian love story set amidst the life-threatening tensions of 1980s Soviet-controlled, martial-law Poland, a risky time and place to be alive, but riskier still to be queer and embroiled in political conflict." Brandy T. Wilson, author of The Palace Blues.

"Controlled Conversations reminds us of a time-not very long ago-of the struggles, compromises, and corrosive impact of martial law on Soviet-controlled Poland. It is a story not of future Nobel laureates but of regular people with different backgrounds and ambitions in a search for dignity, the freedom to love who they choose, and a decent cup of tea. At this time of threats to democracy in Poland and globally, Lagodzki's novel reminds us of the precariousness of personal liberty." Lee A. Feinstein, former United States Ambassador to Poland, author of Darfur and Beyond: What is Needed to Prevent Mass Atrocities.

"Karol Lagodzki's debut novel Controlled Conversations, set in 1980s Poland under martial law, is both taut and timely, reminding us that conflicts in Eastern Europe have the power to shake the rest of the world. Lagodzki really knows his characters, and he writes about them with unfailing empathy. The book is riveting, and I loved reading it. I seldom find a contemporary novel this engrossing." Steve Yarbrough, author of The Unmade World, Stay Gone Days, and more.

Karol Lagodzki, a native of Poland, is an exophonic author of English-language fiction. His stories have appeared in Invisible City, Storm Cellar, NUNUM, Streetlight Magazine, and elsewhere, and he has won Panel Magazine's Ruritania Prize for Short Fiction. Controlled Conversations is his debut novel.He holds an MFA in creative writing, buys more books than he can read or afford-usually novels and short story collections, though he's been known to pick up an odd book of poetry or accessible science-and gives back to the literary community by serving as a reader for literary journals. Karol's non-writing careers have ranged from fixing stucco while dangling from roofs in Paris to sorting through human cadaver heads in Florida to developing and marketing medical devices for critically ill people in the American Midwest, but his true ambition is to remain a student for as long as he possibly can and make sure more stories make it out of his head and onto the page.Karol lives halfway down a Southern Indiana ravine with his wonderful, unconventional family, a scurry of squirrels, a passel of possums, a gaze of raccoons, a descent of woodpeckers, and a large dog.

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