Category: audiobook (or history)

Literature can be used as a weapon. This belief was behind the American mission to get Boris Pasternak’s sweeping romance Doctor Zhivago published and distributed in Russia behind the Iron Curtain. This moment in history serves as the main plot device for Lara Prescott’s debut novel. Literature can be used as a weapon because it touches the hearts and minds of people. 

The story is told from many perspectives, with each chapter identifying itself by the many roles that the character has played in the narrative. This device works especially well in the audiobook format, as the listener is placed in the shoes of the character as their unique narration overtakes the story. Different voice actors portray the characters, making transitions smooth and thrilling, as the story is passed off from one to another, coloring in patches as the reader desperately tries to see the bigger picture. There is Olga (the mistress of Pasternak who sacrificed everything) shy and quiet Irina (who possesses the skills of a spy), and the show-stealing Sally Forester (I may be biased, but I fell in love with her the second she appeared). Strong women and their stories are at the forefront, including the Greek chorus of typists who push the reader towards curiosity, intrigue and a desire for knowledge. 

Spies, secrets, and scintillating stories consume this novel and listening to it as an audiobook only enhanced the thrill of watching these women as they played a pivotal role in history. Even when getting bogged down in the perspective of Pasternak himself, the novel proves that great literature does indeed touch hearts and minds. And this novel does exactly that.

Contributed by: Noel