by Ward Just
First published 2015
Harry Sanders serves as a young Foreign Service officer in 1960s Indochina when a secret meeting with insurgents goes wrong. The mission ends badly, but Harry also meets Sieglinde, a German woman who captivates him during a brief affair. These events redirect his entire life path. Harry returns to Washington, then takes postings across Africa, Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean. He marries May, an enchanting woman escaping her own troubled New England family history. She seeks refuge in the diplomatic world Harry offers. They appear successful and attractive as a couple, yet Harry cannot forget Sieglinde. May guards her own hidden truths. Harry works through increasingly dangerous diplomatic assignments during an era of endless wars. He struggles to bridge the emotional gaps between himself and the two compelling women who have chosen to love him. The story follows his attempts to navigate both professional hazards and personal relationships across the decades of his diplomatic career.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Africa, Indochina, Mediterranean, Scandinavia, Washington, New England
Period: 1960s
272 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books