I just read a terrific novel set in contemporary Quito, Ecuador, with the main characters employees of the U.S. State Department and the CIA.
This is not an easy one to write about without spoiling the plot. Let me just say that it’s politically and psychologically insightful. It doesn’t simplify or glorify. It doesn’t beautify or brutalize human behavior. And you will find yourself trusting that it’s going somewhere good, but you will not be able to say exactly where.
If Bradley Manning didn’t exist we would have to invent him. Kraske has invented a narrative that takes us inside the workings of our government in a way that no collection of State Department cables ever could. For better or worse, I suspect he’s taken us to a place very closely resembling the real thing.