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A Novel
by Paul Goldberg
A thrilling, witty, and slyly original Cold War mystery about a ragtag group of Jewish refuseniks in Moscow.
On his wedding day in 1976, Viktor Moroz stumbles upon a murder scene: two gay men, one of them a US official, are axed to death in Moscow. Viktor, a Jewish refusenik, is stuck in Russia due to the government's denial of his application to leave for Israel; he sits "in refusal" alongside his wife and their community of intellectuals, Jewish and not. But then the KGB spots Viktor leaving the murder scene. Plucked off the street, he's given a choice: find the real murderer or become the suspect of convenience. His deadline is nine days later, when Henry Kissinger is arriving in Moscow. Ax murders, it seems, aren't good for politics.
A whip-smart, often hilarious Cold War thriller, Paul Goldberg's The Dissident explores what it means to survive in the face of impossible choices and monumental consequences. To solve the case, Viktor ropes in his community, which includes his banned-text-distributing wife, a hard-drinking sculptor, a Russian priest of Jewish heritage, and a visiting American intent on reliving World War II heroics. As Viktor struggles to figure out whom to trust, he's forced to question not only the KGB's murky motives but also those of his fellow refuseniks—and the man he admires above all: the Secretary of State himself.
Immersive, unpredictable, and always ax-sharp, The Dissident is Cold War intrigue at its most inventive: an uncompromising look at sacrifice, community, and the scars of history and identity, from an expert storyteller.
"[A] darkly comic tale...A refreshing and literary take on the genre that appeals to the intellect as well as the pulse." —Library Journal (starred review)
"Goldberg's genre-defying thriller mixes political reflections, historical perspectives, philosophical musings, and the author's personal take on the culture and society of Russia, where he lived until he was 14...mesmerizing, eclectic, and intriguing." —Booklist
"Another strong performance by Goldberg, a master at dissecting divided souls. A smart, satirically streaked novel." ―Kirkus Reviews
"Readers looking for an ambitious, off the beaten path comedic mystery will find plenty to enjoy." ―Publishers Weekly
"Crime and Punishment―for the Jews! Paul Goldberg's newest is a dead-serious, dead-funny, no-he-didn't marvel." ―Joshua Cohen, author of The Netanyahus
"The Dissident is a murder mystery, a love story, a diplomatic thriller, and a glimpse into a pivotal moment in Soviet history. But most of all it is a joy. An incandescent conjuring of Moscow in the 1970s full of dark humor, vodka, smoked fish, and choices no one should be forced to make, The Dissident is a hilarious and erudite novel brimming over with life." ―Michael David Lukas, author of The Last Watchman of Old Cairo
"Paul Goldberg crafts an unexpected and fully original Cold War mystery with a force of knowledge about his subject. In one way, it's a highfalutin and wild ride, but the simplicity and harmony of a good novel is never lost. The Dissident is a brilliant dose of the humanist compassion we all need right now." ―Derek B. Miller, author of How to Find Your Way in the Dark
"Paul Goldberg's love letter to samizdat is a hilarious, anarchic tour through Soviet era Moscow and the absurd negotiations required to survive. Tense and witty, scathing yet affectionate, this wonderfully overstuffed rollercoaster is a perceptive and wise snapshot of refusenik life during the Cold War. Somewhere, Bulgakov is smiling." ―Mark Sarvas, author of Memento Park
This information about The Dissident was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Paul Goldberg is the author of the novels The Yid, which was a finalist for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the National Jewish Book Award's Goldberg Prize for Debut Fiction, and The Château. As a reporter, Goldberg has written two books about the Soviet human rights movement, and co-authored (with Otis Brawley) the book How We Do Harm, an expose of the U.S. healthcare system. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Slate, The New York Times, and elsewhere. He is also the editor and publisher of The Cancer Letter, a publication focused on the business and politics of cancer. He lives in Washington, D.C.
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