Spyless in Tirana : Alex Klaushofer : 9780993323645 : 0993323642 : 15 Feb 2024 : Once cut off from the rest of Europe by dictator Enver Hoxha, Albania has long been a source of fascination for Alex Klaushofer. Thirty years after the fall of communism, she spends a spring in Tirana, gaining a privileged insight into the country as it strives to join the modern West. Volunteering at Tirana's first hostel and interviewing a wide range of people, the author talks to a political prisoner about his experiences under the regime and meets the student activists trying to change a system which is still corrupt. She hears about the discrimination suffered by the disabled and sees how a new culture of caring for animals is slowly developing. She learns how, in a state where religion was banned, faith is making a comeback, why trafficking takes place and discovers how profoundly the architecture reflects the changing fortunes of the city. A compelling narrative and piece of informed reportage