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  • Published: 15 April 2012
  • ISBN: 9780307475039
  • Imprint: Knopf US
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $49.99

The Russian Affair

A Novel




An intriguing and remarkable novel that brilliantly explores the dangerous mix between love and espionage in Moscow in the midst of the Cold War.

With bravura storytelling, stunning authenticity, and unforgettable characters, The Russian Affair brings readers into a world of love, intrigue and espionage in the midst of the Cold War.
 
Twenty-nine-year-old Anna Viktorovna lives in Moscow with her young son and her father, a once popular and respected poet who has fallen into disgrace because of his dissident views. Her husband, a junior officer in the Red Army, is on active duty and living seven time zones away. When she meets Alexey Bulgyakov, a married and powerful Soviet official who is nearly twice her age, her life begins to look a little brighter. Yet their burgeoning romance is irrevocably threatened when a KGB colonel forces Anna to spy on Alexey, who is suspected of disloyalty to the state. Though she loathes the notion of double-crossing, she is forced to comply. But Anna isn't the only character playing a double game.

  • Published: 15 April 2012
  • ISBN: 9780307475039
  • Imprint: Knopf US
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $49.99

Praise for The Russian Affair

  • "A thrilling plunge into a dangerous dance of love and espionage at the height of the Cold War. . . . Wallner brings the 1970s Soviet Union to life in this suspenseful tale." --The Daily Beast
  • "Tense, evocative and moving. Wallner expertly depicts the dreariness, paranoia and intrigue of the Soviet Union in the early 1970s, while simultaneously crafting a deep, heartfelt love story peopled by fully realized characters facing difficult situations, forced to act without a clear-cut notion of right and wrong." --Kirkus Reviews