The Secrets We Kept

Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim) September 2019

Can't take credit for finding this one myself- Reese Witherspoon Book Pick Sept 2019.

Happy Monday, Friends!

I am finally recovered and rested after my week long vacation out West. I am similar to a child and require a solid seven hours of sleep to function and the time change definitely screwed up my rhythm! However- I knew that I HAD to dedicate a blog post to this book when I got home because I devoured it on the plane ride to and from Arizona and snuck a little reading time in while driving to each of our destinations. It is definitely one that is hard to put down so clear your schedule.

This book drew me in because I am a huge fan of historical fiction AND romance. Lara Prescott delivers on both of those ends. The Secrets We Kept was inspired by a true story and takes place at the height of the Cold War. The story unfolds from 1949 and concludes in 1961 and I LOVED that because it took you through each characters story to the very end. Prescott breaks the books into sections labeled East and West. In the West (Washington, DC) you have a group of women known as the Typing Pool who happen to know everyone’s secrets in the office- especially the high-powered men. A new typist is hired- Irina. Irina is Russian and quickly learns she was not hired for her typing skill but rather her skill as a spy/carrier of secret messages. Later- the company hires a veteran spy known for her charm and deceit- Sally Forrester. Sally begins training Irina and they become a dynamic pair. In the East (Russia) Borgus Pasternak, a poet and author, is writing what will become a Nobel prize winning book called Doctor Zhivago which is forbidden in Russia for it’s anti-soviet thoughts. Pasternak is a married man however has a mistress named Olga who is his muse for a character in his book.

All of these characters and stories intertwine when the CIA wants to publish Doctor Zhivago in America to pit it against Russia. Irina and Sally are put to work smuggling the book into and out of the city and into the hands of those who will spread the book as far as it can possibly go. Meanwhile, Pasternak struggles with the repercussions from Russia if his book is to become published. What will happen to each character? You will never guess the domino effect that unfolds.

I bought this book on Amazon for $16 and I will link it here. It is available at Target for the same price. I also encourage use of your local public library. :)