Defectors

Moscow, 1961: With the launch of Sputnik, the Soviet Union’s international prestige is at an all-time high. And the most notorious of the defectors to the Soviet Union, former CIA agent Frank Weeks, is about to publish his memoir. What he reveals will send shock waves through the West.

Weeks’ defection in the early 1950s shook Washington to its core – and forced the resignation of his brother, Simon, from the State Department.

Simon, now a publisher in New York, is given the opportunity to read and publish his brother’s memoir. He knows the US government will never approve the publication of what is clearly intended as KGB propaganda. Yet the offer is irresistible: it will finally give him the chance to learn why his brother chose to betray his country.

But what he discovers in Moscow is far more shocking than he ever imagined a frightening, convincing portrait of the state’s capacity to control every aspect of the lives of its subjects and even its visitors.

Kanon writes beautifully, superbly conveying human sadness and regret’ The Times on Defectors ‘The critical stock of Joseph Kanon will add further lustre to his reputation . .