Atmospheric novel about an older woman whose past career as a WWII
spy has come back to haunt her.Ruth Gilmartin is a single mother of
one in 1976 England. On a visit to Grandma's, Ruth's mother, Sally,
informs her that her real name is Eva Delectorskaya, and that she
was an agent of British Intelligence during World War II. Eva hands
Sally a manuscript of her story, abruptly launching the duo and the
reader into the past. Boyd (Any Human Heart, 2003, etc.) seems more
eager to tell Eva's story than Ruth's. Not surprisingly, as the
elder Gilmartin finds herself swept into a world on the brink of
war in 1939. Recruited by the swarthy and mysterious Lucas Romer,
Eva is trained in spycraft and joins Romer's team, specializing in
disinformation. Propaganda is Eva's stock in trade, and she has a
knack for it. Still, for all her talent, she finds herself
attracted to her secretive boss. Boyd has obviously read a few
espionage novels. Can any young woman resist James Bond? Ruth leads
a far less glamorous life. Saddled with Jochen, her inquisitive
son, she teaches English as a Second Language. Her adventures occur
vicariously, through the lives of the foreign students who study
with her. With a nod to irony, Ruth teaches people to blend into
their surroundings. At first, her mother's revelation seems to be a
sign of senility. As Ruth begins to investigate, the shadows of her
mother's former life reveal themselves. There is some truth to this
work of fiction, and the real-life events make for a fascinating
backdrop. Boyd skillfully manipulates language as easily as Eva
does. He handles the plot more roughly. Ruth is clumsy albeit
untrained, and the other characters in her world are rather thinly
sketched. Yet Boyd fits the puzzle together neatly in the end.A bit
light on action and intrigue, but a cool, collected effort. (Kirkus
Reviews)
It is 1939. Eva Delectorskaya is a beautiful 28-year-old Russian
emigree living in Paris. As war breaks out she is recruited for the
British Secret Service by Lucas Romer, a mysterious Englishman, and
under his tutelage she learns to become the perfect spy, to mask
her emotions and trust no one, including those she loves most.
Since the war, Eva has carefully rebuilt her life as a typically
English wife and mother. But once a spy, always a spy. Now she must
complete one final assignment, and this time Eva can't do it alone:
she needs her daughter's help.
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