Go On Pretending by Alina AdamsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
As the United States Democratic Party reels with the shock of New York selecting 33-year-old leftist Zohran Mamdani as its mayoralty candidate, Alina Adams’ new novel, Go On Pretending, is a timely exploration of why the young are often drawn to idealism that their older counterparts, like Cuomo, consider naïve and unrealistic.
The book examines three generations of young idealists: a bi-racial couple in 1950s New York who leave for the Soviet Union, dreaming of an egalitarian society; Soviet emigres to New York in the 1980s, one of whom (modeled on real-life Vladimir Posner) flips from being a spokesman for the Soviets to a critic; and a girl determined to make a difference in a feminist commune in the Rojava region of Syria in the 2010s.
The novel opens with the story of determined, young Rose Janowitz, who talks her way into a job working for the real-life founder of soap operas, Irna Phillips. Soap operas initially aired on radio, so performers had to have great voices; their looks were irrelevant. Rose hires (and falls in love with) mellifluous-toned African American actor, Jonas Cain. The show surges in popularity but when the studio bosses decide to move it from radio to television, they insist that the black actor has to be replaced. Refusing to accept that decision, Rose and Jonas strike out on their own, hitting barrier after barrier. After being welcomed to perform in the Soviet Union during a brief period when it was trying to show openness to the world, the couple decides to stay and build their careers there.
The ending, which I won’t reveal here to avoid spoilers, also forces you to think through questions of personal autonomy versus a parent’s urge to protect their offspring from danger. At what point is it appropriate to intervene? The answer can be surprisingly complex.
Given that I’m currently writing a novel in which I am also exploring what happens when youthful idealism confronts harsh reality, I was particularly intrigued to see how believably Adams handled the transitions for these young idealists. (And the fact that not all dreamers do transition: sometimes it is easier to “go on pretending”.)
Told with delightful wit and more than a touch of cynicism, the book is a fast, well-researched, read that I definitely recommend.
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