Elliott Holt

You Are One of Them by Elliot Holt is a coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of the fear and anxiety that gripped America during the cold war. In 1982, two ten year old girls compose letters to the leader of the Soviet Union, Yuri Andropov. One of these little girls, Jenny, gets not only an answer to her letter but an invitation for herself and her family to visit Russia. Jenny becomes a instant celebrity and soon the other girl, Sarah has been left behind, ignored and missing her show more best friend. When Jenny and her parents perish in a plane crash, Sarah has difficulty coming to terms with her death.

Flash forward 10 years, and Sarah has now graduated from university when she receives a mysterious letter from a woman that Jenny met in Moscow. The letter implies that perhaps Jenny and her family did not perish in the plane crash . Sarah immediately sets off to Russia hoping to find answers. But is this a dangerous secret that waits to revealed or an elaborate hoax?

An interesting read, but truthfully I never felt fully connected to the story. I think I was looking for more of a mystery than the book actually turned out to be. Ultimately this was more about Sarah, her inner conflicts and resolving her unfinished issues that lingered from not having closure with Jenny. I did feel that the author’s descriptions of the budding friendship between the two girls was very well done, and also thought the frustrations and difficulties in trying to converse much less get answers in a country like Russia was both accurate and at times quite humorous. show less

“It's easy to love someone you haven't let down.”
― Elliott Holt, You Are One of Them

As the description suggests this work of Historical Fiction is about the doomed friendship of two young women during the Cold War.

Maybe not as fictional as I had thought. I read several reviews that this book is loosely based on a true story which I did not know when I decided to read it. Although I did enjoy this book I did not love it.

I enjoyed aspects of You are one of them and found the mournful show more tone to be very engrossing. This was one that was on my to be read list for quite awhile and I just had enough one day and read it in one night. I really enjoyed it although certain things I had issues with and I will include spoilers..

SPOILERS:

I know it says it is about the friendship between the two women..Sara and Jenny. But, for me, it is as much a coming of age story as anything else. One of the reasons I did not give it a 5, although I liked it, was because I was a bit let down by the ending. I know and understand that many books end in an abstract way, leaving the reader to decide on what they think happened.

But since the book really is about Sara's journey to find out if her friend is still alive..if she did not in fact, perish in the plane crash.. I wanted to know if it was Jennifer or not. Since we do not find out anything in regards to that issue,which is supposed to be what the book is about, that is what leads me to think this is really a coming of age tale more then anything else. Sara comes to the realization that it does not matter if it is Jennie or not..she doesn't need her anymore.

While I can appreciate the message, since the book is all about BOTH girls I was invested in Jenny's story and at the end of the day, the plot was really more about Sara and letting go of a friendship rather then keeping it. Honestly I am not sure if I would have chosen to read it had I know how different the book would be from what it is marketed as.

Also there were alot of side plots that I did not find as interesting as the central premise, particularly the romance aspect. Frankly I skimmed those parts as I found them rather dull. I really thought, going in, this was less a coming of age or romance then an intense mystery so I was a bit let down honestly although the writing was wonderful.

So I give it 3 stars and did enjoy it but wish some things had been a bit different. show less

Strong, engaging and suspenseful debut about two girls who grew up together in Cold War Washington D.C. Lonely, awkward Sarah is best friends with outgoing, easygoing Jenny. When they write letters to USSR President Andropov, Jenny becomes a star, an international symbol of peace between nations. Then she dies. Or does she? Sarah grows up and moves to Moscow years later to find out the truth. I loved the Cold War setting, the relationship between the girls and Sarah's melancholic voice. I show more found this book really hard to put down or leave behind.
Full review: http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2013/06/review-you-are-one-of-them-by-elliott.h... show less

The Cold War is back. The days of U. S. Soviet détente have re-emerged on current television channels with shows such as the Americans, The Neighbors and even recent episodes of Dr. Who. Those were the days when Khrushchev warned, “We will bury you.” Has enough time has passed for those who lived through it a chance to forget?

In just such a world, author, Elliott Holt takes the political thread and makes it personal. In her new book, You Are One of Them, the main character, young Sarah show more Zuckerman, uses the term defection as a metaphor for abandonment. Her first loss, the death of an older sister takes place before Sarah is even toilet trained. Her second defection comes at age seven when her IMF economist father leaves her and her mother, returning to his native England. Sarah’s remaining parent, her mother, obsessed by nuclear war is physically present but emotionally absent, spending her time working for disarmament. But Sarah’s greatest unresolved loss is that of her childhood friend, Jenny Jones. When Jenny and her perfect parents move in across the street, a charismatic Jenny throws Sarah a lifeline, saving her from a childhood of loneliness. The two become best friends.

It’s the early 1980’s. Living in Washington, D.C. means politics is never totally absent from the lives of these two precocious ten year olds. Sarah and Jenny take it upon themselves to write letters to Russian prime minister, Yuri Andropov asking for international peace and co-operation between the two countries. Surprisingly, Jenny’s letter is published in Pravda while Sarah’s is not mentioned. After Jenny and her parents are invited to travel to Russia on a peace mission, Jenny becomes a mini-celebrity who travels on a speaking tour .Sarah is shunted to the background and the two grow apart. Not long after, Jenny and her parents are killed in a mysterious plane crash but no bodies are found. Years later, Sarah receives a letter from Svetlana, a Russian girl who met Jenny on the Jones family’s Russian tour. Svetlana asks, “How do you know that Jennifer Jones is dead?” Is it possible that her friend is still alive? Was Jenny a propaganda tool? Svetlana invites Sarah, newly graduated from college and at loose ends, to visit Russia and be enlightened.

Holt evokes an unlovely but amusing vision of Moscow in the 1990’s with its rotting infrastructure shrouded in clouds of cigarette smoke. A passing parade of struggling Russians, scolding babushkas, would-be models, and track-suited hustlers enlivens the landscape. Sarah meets a gaggle of young go-go ex-pats in Moscow and almost becomes one of them, but she is hesitant. How much of Sarah’s suspicions are legitimate and how much a remnant of growing up during the Cold War. Her life lived under a cloud of suspicion puts her at odds with a desire for closure. As Sarah frees herself from the shadows of the past, it’s almost like the fall of the Berlin Wall. Holt’s ending underscores Sarah’s new strength as she moves from the betrayals of her past to a new beginning. show less