I didn't know anything at all about the intrigue surrounding the publication of Boris Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago before reading Lara Prescott's engrossing new novel, The Secrets We Kept (coming out September 3, 2019). Prescott's novel beautifully weaves together multiple storylines connected to Dr. Zhivago - from the targeting of Pasternak and those he loved for daring to write a story seen as critical of the Soviet Union to the typists at the C.I.A. who are recruited to help distribute the novel as a propaganda tool. Prescott fleshes out the characters in a broad network in multiple involved in the publication, distribution, and banning of the novel, including the Union of Soviet Writers who condemned the novel and the Italian publisher who made sure that it was published, even after the novelist changed his mind.
While the novel paints a clear picture of the repression and brutality of the Soviet regime, it doesn't let the U.S. off the hook. The story is primarily told through the point of view of women, and we are given an uncomfortable picture of how the Agency men saw female operatives as tools to be discarded. Prescott also highlights how the "Lavender Scare" in the U.S. ruined the lives of LGBTQ people who lost their livelihood and reputations.
Overall, Prescott has succeeded in bringing this story to life by creating a compelling cast of characters who are affected by the publication of Dr. Zhivago in unexpected ways. Most tragically, we have a close look at Pasternak's lover and her family who suffer both emotionally by being targeted by the government and physically by being sent to the gulag. One can't help but leave this novel feeling like it was unfortunate for Pasternak that he was persecuted for writing his novel, but it was others who suffered most.
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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