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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Audiobook
The best things about this book: 1) Bahni Turpin, the narrator 2) THE ENDING
The rest - meh
The best things about this book: 1) Bahni Turpin, the narrator 2) THE ENDING
The rest - meh
adventurous
medium-paced
Somewhere inside this missed opportunity there is a good story, but it just didn’t make it. Written as a letter to her children, it’s heavy on details that are boring and not necessary. Too bad. I had high expectations.
Liked it for the fascinating history of Burkina Faso and reminder of the reaches of french colonization.
Let’s get right to it.
Marie Mitchell, a young black woman, is confronted in her home one night by an intruder. Getting rid of him without undue difficulty, she flees the United States with her 4-year-old twin sons, and then – hiding out at her mother’s home in Martinique – sets about unraveling the complicated back story that produced her present (which, for this novel is 1992).
Are you following me so far?
As it turns out, without giving anything away, the key to her current situation turns out to be her role in the 1980s as an FBI intelligence agent.
And…
More so, as a black woman, what it is like for Marie in a boys club atmosphere of the FBI of the 80’s.
But…
That isn’t the only complication.
Marie is expected to be spying on a revolutionary leader. What happens when she falls in love with her target?
And…
He becomes the father of her children?
Who is challenging boundaries now?
It has been said that this book is “inspired by true events.”
For a debut novel it definitely addresses thought-provoking issues. Which makes this a perfect book discussion selection.
I enjoyed this a lot. Part spy story, but also so much more, with essentially a giant letter to main character Marie’s sons framing this story.
This book has so much going on in it, as Marie describes different periods of her past to her sons, explaining how she got to where she did. There are complicated family dynamics, the experience of growing up terrified of a nuclear war, the dual nature of the judicial system based on one’s skin colour, being sidelined and constantly diminished at work for being a woman, the American government’s propensity to meddle in and destroy other countries’ governments, the lack of oversight on US-employed security/intelligence contractors and their greed, and motherhood. Phew! I’m sure there’s more, but that’s enough to describe how much is going on in this story, which reads quickly and has interesting things to say while its complex main character relates her experiences.
This book has so much going on in it, as Marie describes different periods of her past to her sons, explaining how she got to where she did. There are complicated family dynamics, the experience of growing up terrified of a nuclear war, the dual nature of the judicial system based on one’s skin colour, being sidelined and constantly diminished at work for being a woman, the American government’s propensity to meddle in and destroy other countries’ governments, the lack of oversight on US-employed security/intelligence contractors and their greed, and motherhood. Phew! I’m sure there’s more, but that’s enough to describe how much is going on in this story, which reads quickly and has interesting things to say while its complex main character relates her experiences.
Agent With a Conscience or The Spy Who Came in From the Hot
Review of the Random House Audio edition released simultaneously with the original hardcover edition (February 2019)
[3.5 rounded up]
This reading was part of my investigation of the novels nominated for the 2020 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. American Spy is a nominee for Best First Novel. The winners are expected to be announced April 30, 2020.
There was quite a lot that I really liked about American Spy: the unconventional narrator, the Le Carré-esque betrayal themes, the basis in historical facts and the flattery of the reader. There is the sense, however, that a first novel writer has been over-edited or overly structured as there is a somewhat chaotic layout to the book making it harder to follow (certainly on audio, but I see hard copy readers making similar comments in their reviews).
FBI agent Marie Mitchell is co-opted by an off the books American intelligence organization to honeytrap the President of Burkina Faso in the mid 1980s. The President is based on the true-life character of Thomas Sankara. NOTE: SPOILER WARNING, if you click on Sankara's name you will know how the real life story ends. Marie begins to admire aspects of Sankara's striving for his country's independence from colonial powers with the predictable resulting conflicts with her handlers. The plot makes a lot of flashbacks to Marie's youth esp. her life with her older sister (whose mysterious fate is the basis of her doubts about the authorities) and flash-forwards to her later life on the run in Martinique.
The framing device of the book being a memoir/diary for Marie's sons is clunky though and unrealistic. You can mostly forget about that though except for the moments when Marie breaks the 4th wall and addresses them personally. The ending wraps up very abruptly with several unanswered questions which increases the likelihood of a sequel, although I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere in the publicity (as of early April 2020). Best to watch https://lauren-wilkinson.com/ for future updates on that.
The narration by Bahni Turpin in all voices was excellent.
Review of the Random House Audio edition released simultaneously with the original hardcover edition (February 2019)
[3.5 rounded up]
This reading was part of my investigation of the novels nominated for the 2020 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. American Spy is a nominee for Best First Novel. The winners are expected to be announced April 30, 2020.
There was quite a lot that I really liked about American Spy: the unconventional narrator, the Le Carré-esque betrayal themes, the basis in historical facts and the flattery of the reader. There is the sense, however, that a first novel writer has been over-edited or overly structured as there is a somewhat chaotic layout to the book making it harder to follow (certainly on audio, but I see hard copy readers making similar comments in their reviews).
FBI agent Marie Mitchell is co-opted by an off the books American intelligence organization to honeytrap the President of Burkina Faso in the mid 1980s. The President is based on the true-life character of Thomas Sankara. NOTE: SPOILER WARNING, if you click on Sankara's name you will know how the real life story ends. Marie begins to admire aspects of Sankara's striving for his country's independence from colonial powers with the predictable resulting conflicts with her handlers. The plot makes a lot of flashbacks to Marie's youth esp. her life with her older sister (whose mysterious fate is the basis of her doubts about the authorities) and flash-forwards to her later life on the run in Martinique.
The framing device of the book being a memoir/diary for Marie's sons is clunky though and unrealistic. You can mostly forget about that though except for the moments when Marie breaks the 4th wall and addresses them personally. The ending wraps up very abruptly with several unanswered questions which increases the likelihood of a sequel, although I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere in the publicity (as of early April 2020). Best to watch https://lauren-wilkinson.com/ for future updates on that.
The narration by Bahni Turpin in all voices was excellent.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked it. Really liked the main character and the political intrigue woven in throughout the book. Did not like that it was written as a letter to her sons. I don’t know if I’ve even read a book written as a letter that I’ve liked, to be honest. It slows down the pace and makes everything more boring because it has already happened. Wish the same character and same plot had just been told in a linear format.
While I got a little lost at parts (probably due to my own life's-going-ons), I really liked learning about this character! Kinda James Bond-esque. Even though from the 1980's, it helps to identify the complexity of world politics.