Guiding Stars

This lengthy first novel from Australian writer Ling explores the traumatic subjugations and dislocations of a pair of young Hungarian lovers as they navigate the dangerous territory of their newly Communist homeland, and later face the unknown, emigrating to Canada and Australia. Andrew Dombrady suffers through the repressive Communist regime in Budapest throughout childhood and his teens, and Ling's formulaic scripting of this political era is angry, historically detailed and curiously prosaic. When Andrew meets gorgeous Katherina Erdelyi, things suddenly look up. As they kiss, ""the beauty of the moment swept them into unbearable desire and although they wished the moment would last forever, Katie reluctantly pulled away."" Readers looking for more subtle narrative stylings may also pull away from this tale of international love and politics, which promises a compelling saga, but too often relies on pedestrian prose to relay it. (Sept.)