The Twelve Little Cakes
Dominika Dery
published 2004 by Riverhead Books
Charming Memoir, Fast Read
The Twelve Little Cakes is a charming memoir about little six year old Dominika's childhood in 1970s communist Czechoslovakia. The story's conflicts stem from the status of Dominkika's parents as poilitical dissidents: Father Jarda is always being fired from jobs by the Secret Police; Mother Janna's parents have disowned their family; little Dominika suffers the close scrutiny of her community.
I found the landscape and historical setting of the memoir fascinating, especially since Dery is only two years older than I. Dery's courageous family is sketched insightfully--her father Jarda is an especially lovable lunatic who at one point skis down a mountain with a St. Benard on his back.
Dery captures a child's perspective well in the precocious character of Dominika. The writing is light and often humorous even when the subject is dark; Jarda and Janna do not hide hard facts from their daughter.
Chapter Seven, "The Little Indian," about the quarantine ward at Bulovka Hospital, and Nine, "The Little Yolk Wreath," about Dominika's early religious experiences, are especially captivating.
Spend a few pleasant evenings with a tumbler of home-brewed gin and Dery's book. The writing itself is not particularly fine or tightly strung, but that suits the book's tone. This is Dery's first book in English, and it is worth reading.
--Reviewed by Kim Cockroft
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