Our American Friend

Sophie Morse, a journalist with an independent newspaper, is tired of the relentless barrage of political chaos in Washington, DC, brought on by President Henry Caine. When Caine wins a second term, Sophie quits her job. But First Lady Lara Caine approaches her because she wants Sophie to write her biography. Sophie reluctantly agrees and begins to spend more and more time with the First Lady. Very little is known about Lara Caine, other than she was born in Russia, lived in Paris as a teenager, and later became a model. Lara reveals that her father was a Soviet spy and that she acted as a CIA informant in Paris, which makes Sophie wonder why Lara is so candidly revealing her past. When Lara gives Sophie information that impacts national security, Sophie abandons the biography and gives the story to her old newspaper, upending the political status quo in Washington. Pitoniak’s story moves from New York to Washington to Paris to Croatia as the story unfolds, and the main characters are charismatic. Narrator Lisa Flanagan delivers the story with expertise and with all the appropriate accents.