Neal Stephenson's epic novel 'Polostan Book 1' (which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by January LaVoy) is a strange but enjoyable romp through 1930s USA and USSR. At times it felt like a melding of Amor Towles' brilliant novels 'A Gentleman in Moscow' (reviewed here in September 2021) and 'The Lincoln Highway' (reviewed here in February 2022) - showing us the reality of life inside communist Russia and life on the run in gangster-era America, resembling and paying tribute to the exploits of Bonnie and Clyde. Dawn (also known by her Russian name Aurora) is a young woman who has grown up in St Petersburg (where her father was a communist revolutionary) and Montana (where her mother's family come from). By 1933 she has been eye-witness to a series of important events in both countries (some featuring real historical characters) and is wanted by the FBI and the Russian OGPU. We learn her story gradually, through an innovative narrative structure - much of which involves scenes of her being interrogated or tortured by the Soviet authorities, interspersed with the stories she tells them about her earlier life. At times in the book we are simultaneously following Dawn in three separate timelines. 'Polostan' is initially a bit confusing but develops into a series of wonderful set-piece scenes and manages to incorporate politics, engineering, nuclear physics and polo. As the title suggests, Dawn's story may have only just begun and I would be happy to read more.
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