Book
On Green Dolphin Street
First published 2001
Washington, 1959. Mary van der Linden lives within the diplomatic world of the British Embassy while her marriage to Charlie is strained by alcohol, debt and secrets connected with his official work. She falls in love with American journalist Frank Renzo, whose own career has been damaged by the anti-communist investigations of the previous decade.
The affair moves between Washington, New York and Moscow as the 1960 presidential election approaches and Cold War loyalties narrow the characters’ choices. Political suspicion and intelligence work remain largely offstage, but they steadily shape the risks surrounding Mary’s family and the price of acting on private desire.
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