bookrecsplease 's review for:

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

4.0

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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: Yes

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A lot of the marketing for this book calls it a thriller, but I honestly think that the only readers who could call it a thriller would be those that only read political/historical non-fiction. 

This is really more of a literary exploration of  American politics abroad during the Cold War, racial and sexual discrimination on a structural and personal level in the US government, American phobia of communism, motherhood and childhood, etc. 

There are so many political details that I felt like I should have read a history book of the Cold War first to prepare myself for this and fully understand everything. 

There are some hints that action is coming, but really don’t expect those to go anywhere - the structure of the book is the protagonist making journal entries for her sons, and it does read like a practical and unembellished storytelling from someone who feels more bitterness and pessimism than excitement or thrill about her past. 

And ultimately, the ending everything builds up to is (realistically)a bit anticlimactic, so although it does feel incredibly real, for a thriller novel it’s not at all what you’d expect. If you’re expecting a mostly history book, it would be very exciting. 

Literary devices and plot development aside, it is an extremely intellectually compelling and thought-provoking novel. It really changed my perspective on a lot of recent American history and made me question a lot of beliefs i held about governmental spy organizations.