Owen Sela

A story set in the years of the cold war mentality with a grim view of Russian careers in the military. It was well-written and had the aura of being based on a true circumstance. The plot was suspenseful and in re-reading this novel, I admired how well Sela sets a scene, brings in the backstory and develops characters you could care about. Overall, the story personally left me feeling discouraged, but the book does deserve 3½ stars for its execution. (And no, that wasn't intended to be a play on words).… (mere)