Author: Anna Pitoniak
Series: None
Publication Date: February 15, 2022
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 316
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Slow burn of a novel that is worth every minute
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: Tired of covering the grating dysfunction of Washington and the increasingly outrageous antics of President Henry Caine, White House correspondent Sofie Morse quits her job and plans to leave politics behind. But when she gets a call from the office of First Lady Lara Caine, asking Sofie to come in for a private meeting with Lara, her curiosity is piqued. Sofie, like the rest of the world, knows little about Lara—only that Lara was born in Soviet Russia, raised in Paris, and worked as a model before moving to America and marrying the notoriously brash future president. When Lara asks Sofie to write her official biography, and to finally fill in the gaps of her history, Sofie’s curiosity gets the better of her. She begins to spend more and more time in the White House, slowly developing a bond with Lara—and eventually a deep and surprising friendship with her. Even more surprising to Sofie is the fact that Lara is entirely candid about her mysterious past. The First Lady doesn’t hesitate to speak about her beloved father’s work as an undercover KGB officer in Paris—and how he wasn’t the only person in her family working undercover during the Cold War. As Lara’s story unfolds, Sofie can’t help but wonder why Lara is rehashing such sensitive information. Why to her? And why now? Suddenly Sofie is in the middle of a game of cat and mouse that could have explosive ramifications. ~amazon.com
Review: Fantastic novel set during the Cold War and more recent political climate. Lara Caine is the wife of the divisive President but yet no one knows a lot about her; especially before her modeling days. Ms. Caine hires journalist Sofie Morse to write her biography. Sophie isn't really sure what to think about being called to write this book. Not only that but writing a biography is personal and takes getting close to your subject. As a journalist, Sophie has her doubts about how to handle this and still be partial.
What Sophie learns is a background that she couldn't have even fathomed but it leaves her in quite the quandary. I really liked Sophie and her moral code/ethics. I like her relationship with her sister, Jenna and her husband, Ben. They made her more down to earth and smoothed her edges.
Lara Caine is an enigma. She definitely keeps her cards close to her chest but with good reason given her childhood and everything she went through. She had quite the upbringing in Paris with her dad, mom and sister, Natasha.
Being a product of the Cold War, Our American Friend captured me from page 1. I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel, but it was exactly what I needed. The writing is fantastic, and these are characters that I won't soon forget. I can't recommend this enough.
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