æz ðə bˈæk ʌvðə nˈuː jˈɔːɹk ɹᵻvjˈuː ʌv bˈʊks pˌʌblɪkˈeɪʃən ʌvðə nˈɑːvəl ɹˈaɪts, "mˈæɡdə ɪz ɐ ɹˈaɪɾɚ, ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪɾᵻd, mˈæɹid tʊ ɐn ˌækədˈɛmɪk, pˈʌblɪkspˈɪɹɪɾᵻd, wɪð ɐn ˌɔnɐɡˈɛnˈɔfɐɡˈɛn ɹᵻlˈeɪʃənʃˌɪp tə hˈʌŋɡɚɹiz kˈɑːmjuːnˌɪst ɐθˈɔːɹɪɾiz".
As the back of the New York Review of Books publication of the novel writes, "Magda is a writer, educated, married to an academic, public-spirited, with an on-again-off-again relationship to Hungary's Communist authorities".