![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Oct. 27th, 2006
Restless by William Boyd
Oct. 27th, 2006 07:34 amRuth Gilmartin is a single mother living in Oxford, 1976. Stalled in the middle of her doctoral dissertation, living as an EFL teacher, she is surprised when her mother confides her wartime secret. Her mother, Sally Gilmartin, is actually Eva Delectorskaya, a Russian emigre recruited as a spy for the British gov't during WWII.
The book alternates between Ruth chapters and Eva chapters. Ruth's life is dull, but takes on more sinister significance the more she learns about her mother's wartime activities. Ultimately, she is drawn into her mother's story, and unknowingly aids her mother's wish for revenge.
I'm not a great reader of spy novels, but this book was so intriguing I might change my mind. Eva's narrative is heartbreaking. The initial excitement of learning, and mastering, the skill set that will make her a crack spy, is traded in for betrayal, heartbreak, and loneliness of someone who uses subterfuge to make a living.
The isolation gave me a similar feeling to the lonely feeling often present in deep space s/f.
What I liked best about this book is that it wasn't all Bond style explosions. Eva's life as a spy isn't particularly glamorous. Eva is kept ignorant of the purpose of most of her missions. The danger comes when the true purpose of her work begins to dawn on her, and her natural intelligence and curiousity draw her into a plot that threatens her life.
Anyway, it's not for everyone, but I thought it was a really intriguing novel and I will certainly be reading more of William Boyd's work.
Does anyone know of any other good lady spy novels?
The book alternates between Ruth chapters and Eva chapters. Ruth's life is dull, but takes on more sinister significance the more she learns about her mother's wartime activities. Ultimately, she is drawn into her mother's story, and unknowingly aids her mother's wish for revenge.
I'm not a great reader of spy novels, but this book was so intriguing I might change my mind. Eva's narrative is heartbreaking. The initial excitement of learning, and mastering, the skill set that will make her a crack spy, is traded in for betrayal, heartbreak, and loneliness of someone who uses subterfuge to make a living.
The isolation gave me a similar feeling to the lonely feeling often present in deep space s/f.
What I liked best about this book is that it wasn't all Bond style explosions. Eva's life as a spy isn't particularly glamorous. Eva is kept ignorant of the purpose of most of her missions. The danger comes when the true purpose of her work begins to dawn on her, and her natural intelligence and curiousity draw her into a plot that threatens her life.
Anyway, it's not for everyone, but I thought it was a really intriguing novel and I will certainly be reading more of William Boyd's work.
Does anyone know of any other good lady spy novels?