Albania has become, in Western Europe, synonymous with isolation and despair (theirs) and ignorance (ours). This informative and approachable book aims to address the latter as it traces political, social and economic developments in the tiny Balkan country since the death of Enver Hoxha twelve years ago. The emphasis is mostly on the political, the tone in general resolutely super-cool - not surprising when you consider that Radio Free Europe, never noted for an anarchic sense of humour, is a major source. But the odd little grace note creeps in here and there, as in the description of Hoxha's funeral - "on 15 April, in gentle rain, Hoxha was buried" - and for a moment or two, Albania moves a little closer.
