Our American Friend

A Novel

By: Anna Pitoniak

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan

A globe-spanning thriller of love and betrayal about a mysterious first lady with an explosive secret.

Paris, 1974. Lara Orlov and her family arrive from Moscow at the height of the Cold War, thanks to her father’s position as a diplomat. The years pass, and Lara becomes more and more enamored with the City of Lights. As a teenager in Paris, she falls deeply in love with a fellow Russian expat: the passionate, intellectual Sasha, who opens her eyes to the ills of the Soviet Union.

Decades later and across the globe, journalist Sofie Morse is taking some much-needed time off after several chaotic years covering Washington politics. But when she gets a call from the office of First Lady Lara Caine, her curiosity is piqued. Sofie, like the rest of the world, knows little about Lara—only that she was born in Soviet Russia and raised in Paris before marrying Henry Caine, the brash future president.

After decades of silence, Lara is finally ready to speak candidly about her past: about her father’s work for the KGB and about her ill-fated relationship with Sasha—which may be long in the past, but which could have explosive ramifications for the future. As Sofie begins to write Lara’s biography, she can’t help but wonder: Why is Lara revealing such sensitive information? And why now? Caught in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, both Lara and Sofie must ask themselves what really matters—and confront their own power to upend the global political order.

Awesome

I love this book. Fast paced and engaging from start to finish. Brilliantly relevant and intriguing.

Amazing book

I loved this book, I was disappointed at first, I thought I had somehow missed part of the story. But then the book really took off. its partly set in the present then goes back to the past. I can't wait to listen to it again. You won't be disappointed.

Kept my interest

Though I found the storyline to be a bit predictable, the narration was really well done; entertaining.

Mixed review

I enjoyed this authors first two books, but this one was a bit of a disappointment. It took almost half way through to establish the characters, and the political intrigue kicked in at that point. But what a letdown at the finale, too many convenient conclusions *spoiler*and a really unbelievable resignation by President Kane ( he is definitely modeled on Donald Trump, and if you are a Trump supported, you should avoid this book). Good narration.