Imagine you spend years writing the novel you’ve always desired to write. You’ve poured so much of yourself into the novel that you can not fathom it not being published. Imagine that you’re told it is impossible to publish as the Government doesn’t want it published.
Imagine that you’re in love with the person who wrote this novel. That in an effort to prevent the writer from continuing work on this novel the Government arrests you and sends you to a work camp.
These are just two scenarios explored in The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott. While I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never read the novel at the heart of this plot I am aware of some of the back story. I knew that it was banned from publication in The Soviet Union and had been smuggled out and published in the “West”. I also knew that the Author Boris Pasternak had been awarded the Nobel Prize for his work, but had to decline the honor of accepting the award.
I did not now the role the United States played in publishing Pasternak’s novel in its original language or that it was smuggled back into The Soviet Union to be used as propaganda.
An interesting novel to read, definitely a good choice if you’re interested in the Cold War error and government intrigues.
Thoughts of a New England Book Girl 