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Sarah and Jenny are best friends in the 1980s Cold War era in Washington DC. Jenny is outgoing, well-liked, and has, what seems like to Sarah (who has none of these characteristics), the perfect home life. When they both write letters to the Soviet leader asking for peace, Jenny's letter receives a response which leads to a trip to Russia for her family...and the end of Jenny and Sarah's friendship as they know it.
I thought this novel was really interesting especially in its historical aspects...at least for me, the Cold War was largely overlooked in my high school history classes. While reading, it made me wonder how accurate the Russian sentiments in the book were to real life (a little research suggested pretty accurate) which I also found fascinating in a very history buff kind of way.
I really enjoyed both the story and the writing, but ended up giving it 3 stars because of the ending, which I can hardly talk about without giving away the biggest secret of the book. It left me feeling like it was not the conclusion I was hoping for. I felt worked up for a big emotional scene, which never really happened. But on the whole, a book worth reading and discussing for sure.
