First published 2015
Ronald Reagan sits across from Mikhail Gorbachev in the volcanic terrain of Iceland, two days of negotiations that could prevent nuclear apocalypse hanging in the balance. Back in Washington, his advisors scramble to interpret his intentions while Nancy Reagan turns to astrology for guidance about a devastating personal discovery. The president's genial but distant nature frustrates everyone around him, from his own children to the officials trying to execute his policies. Through the eyes of figures like a calculating Richard Nixon, sharp-tongued Christopher Hitchens, and Margaret Thatcher, the story unfolds across multiple stages: the corridors of political power in Washington, the luxury of Southern California, and the stark landscape where superpower leaders meet. As Reagan's administration grapples with the AIDS epidemic's emergence, illegal arms deals, and the Cold War's final phase, those closest to him find the president himself remains perpetually beyond their grasp, his true thoughts hidden behind an impenetrable charm that confounds subordinates and citizens alike.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: political-intrigue, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Washington, Southern California, Iceland
Period: 1980s
462 pages · Hardcover · Pantheon