Michael Idov’s novel The Collaborators features two protagonists: seasoned CIA agent Ari Falk, who is on a quest to figure out the persons and motives behind the abduction and murder of a crucial Russian asset; and Maya Chou, the daughter of a Russian American billionaire, who follows the trail her father left behind after he died by suicide under suspicious circumstances. Maya and Ari’s journeys intersect along the way, and together, they come across deadly obstacles and a decades-long plot between Russian and American political agents.
The Collaborators is successful in building a satisfying, propulsive spy thriller, in large part because of its convincing depiction of life in post – Soviet Russia. Great care went into describing the state of Russia’s political machine following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the tactics they employed — and still employ — to maintain the power structure they’ve spent decades building. These descriptions create a world that feels rich and dynamic, one that makes space for surprising plot twists that always feel believable.
The novel’s protagonists serve as engaging lenses through which to view this story world. Ari thankfully doesn’t become the cliché that many main characters of the genre do — characters who are so calloused that they’re almost indifferent to human suffering, and who are quippy to the point of obnoxiousness. Instead, Ari is someone who is capable of building strong relationships from the outset, despite the understandable jadedness his years in his role have caused. And it’s these very relationships, along with hopes for a better American and Russian future, that motivate him. Ari is easy to get behind — and yet he, too, finds himself landing in moral gray areas at times, which makes him a well-rounded character.
Offsetting Ari’s professional persona and background is twenty-three-year-old Maya. She carries her own baggage — a poor relationship with her mother, a distant relationship with her father, and years of alcohol and drug abuse — but is unequipped for the violence she’s soon to witness. Nevertheless, she steps up to the plate and faces it all head-on. Her ability to survive and act nimbly in such awful circumstances may seem unfitting of someone of her background: she was raised extremely wealthy and was thus protected from any material struggle. Yes, her fear is significant, but she continues to show up as if she, like Ari, has spent years working as a spy. Additionally, the romance that buds between her and Ari sometimes feels unconvincing, given the brief time frame in which it appears and the terrible conditions in which it flourishes.
Although the plot of the novel contains many twists and turns, it never feels contrived or convoluted. Idov does a great job of building tension and leaving noticeable — but not too noticeable — bread crumbs along the way. The Collaborators is easy to follow and hard to put down.
Benjamin Selesnick is a psychotherapist in New Jersey. His writing has appeared in Barely South Review, Lunch Ticket, Tel Aviv Review of Books, and other publications. He holds an MFA in fiction from Rutgers University-Newark.
