Romance and Revolution in Lenin’s Russia
In his third novel about the improbable
romance of socialist-feminist journalist Caitlin Henry and MI-6 agent Jack
McColl set during World War I, author David Downing finally finds his voice
reminiscent of his Station series about prewar and World War II Berlin. Here
the setting is primarily in the Russia of 1917-19. Aside from Moscow and Saint Petersburg we see
our protagonists in Siberia, southern Russia and Ukraine where we witness the
impact of the revolution in vast distances of the Russian Empire. And in one chapter when Caitlin is back in the
U.S. we get a real sense of the persecution of America’s anti-war left as war
fever envelops the country.
Several real historical figures make
their appearance, most notably Alexandra Kollontai the leading feminist of the
Russian Revolution who would found the Women’s Department in 1919. She and
Caitlin are soulmates. In Moscow McColl runs into Sidney Riley, the Ace of
Spies while plotting to overthrow Lenin’s regime. How McColl ends up in Moscow is an adventure
in of itself. Through the eyes of both Henry and McColl we see the growing role
of the Cheka (secret police) in the day-to-day lives of urban Russia; a portent
of things to come.
Given their ideological differences and their
long periods of geographical separation caused by the war, it remains to be seen
whether or not their romance will survive. We await Downing’s next book, if
there is one, to see if they make a go of it.
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