The author has sly, intelligent fun with the idea that the mindset necessary to live as a closeted queer woman transfers seamlessly to high-stakes espionage work; a spy and a not-yet-out lesbian are both undercover, in a sense—both are accustomed to subverting identity, using coded language, and seeking out covert action ... The book smartly juxtaposes Vera's rocky coming of age with her espionage adventures. It could come off as contrived and heavy-handed, but Knecht makes it work ... John le Carré and many other writers make hay with the personal repercussions of assuming false identity. Knecht flips the terms artfully, showing us a heroine who discovers her true tough self by going undercover. By the end of Who is Vera Kelly? the reader is rooting for Vera to claim her much deserved personal freedom as much as succeed as a spy.
Women in espionage-oriented fiction tend to come in two varieties: the clueless wife or girlfriend of the male spy, and the femme fatale who ensnares him. In her new novel, however, Rosalie Knecht adopts a different tack. Who Is Vera Kelly? makes for light reading, but of a kind that proves sly, brisk, and charming – with a woman as protagonist. Who Is Vera Kelly? won’t exactly set the literati’s hearts aflutter. No matter. Imagine yourself a contestant on Jeopardy! presented with this description of a novel’s heroine: Brainy bisexual/lesbian CIA agent sent to Argentina in the 1960s, where she unearths scant information on supposed KGB machinations but acquits herself impressively when backed into a corner by a military coup, untangling political intrigue all the while and endearing herself to the reader, to boot. Answer: Who is Vera Kelly?
Women in espionage-oriented fiction tend to come in two varieties: the clueless wife or girlfriend of the male spy, and the femme fatale who ensnares him. In her new novel, however, Rosalie Knecht adopts a different tack. Who Is Vera Kelly? makes for light reading, but of a kind that proves sly, brisk, and charming – with a woman as protagonist. Who Is Vera Kelly? won’t exactly set the literati’s hearts aflutter. No matter. Imagine yourself a contestant on Jeopardy! presented with this description of a novel’s heroine: Brainy bisexual/lesbian CIA agent sent to Argentina in the 1960s, where she unearths scant information on supposed KGB machinations but acquits herself impressively when backed into a corner by a military coup, untangling political intrigue all the while and endearing herself to the reader, to boot. Answer: Who is Vera Kelly?
