It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak.
Anna Pitoniak (Location: New York, USA) is the author of The Futures, Necessary People, and Our American Friend. She graduated from Yale, where she majored in English and was an editor at the Yale Daily News. She worked for many years in book publishing, most recently as a Senior Editor at Random House. Anna grew up in Whistler, British Columbia, and now lives in New York City. Follow @annapitoniak on Twitter
About the book
A mysterious First Lady. The intrepid journalist writing her biography. And the secret that could destroy them both.
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, inviting her to come in for a private meeting with Lara, Sofie's curiosity is piqued. Sofie, like the rest of the world, knows little about Lara - only that she 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.
As Lara's story unfolds, Sofie can't help but wonder why Lara is rehashing such sensitive information. Why tell Sofie? And why now? Suddenly Sofie is in the middle of a game of cat and mouse that could have explosive ramifications.
Review
If indeed the New York Times thought the soundbite - Emily in Paris meets Scandal - was an accurate description of this book, then methinks they didn't really read it properly. There is no comparison at all and it certainly doesn't do the story justice at all.
I actually think, if you take a small step back and allow for the current culture of misinformation, paranoia and lack of factual reporting in media - gossip and opinion is the new news - then I am sure this could probably become the framework for anyone living down a rabbit hole of conspiracies. Imagine for a moment if one were to take current well known figures in politics and this became their story.
Seen from that perspective it becomes more of a Falcon and the Snowman meets the new Cold War era of insidious intrigue, betrayal and a very instable relationship with loyalty or loyalty to country, because I am reluctant to throw out a word such as patriotism with its now often negative connotations.
It's always interesting to draw comparisons to the post-war Cold War era and this new one, any hint of collaboration would have and indeed was often dealt with quite strictly. Now it seems as if enemies of old live in each others pockets and insert their influence on the wider world of politics and flaunt those collaborations without any fear of accountability.
It's an interesting piece, especially if you like your stories to take place like a subtle chess game with the a hint of old spy thriller woven into the chaotic politics and absurdity of the 21st century.
Buy Our American Friend at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: No Exit Press, pub date 29th June 2023 - Paperback Original. Buy at Amazon com.
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