William Faulkner once said that good writing is based on “problems of the human heart in conflict with itself.” How do I know this? Because I’ve seen/heard/read George RR Martin quoting him. But what about the human heart in conflict with society? In Lara Elena Donelly’s Amberlough, we see the effects of a heart that knows what it wants but is forced into bad decisions by a disapproving society. Ms. Donnelly tells a love story wrapped around a spy novel set in a Jazz age equivalent society, and the result is beautiful.
TL;DR
Amberlough kicks off a spy series set in a Jazz Age equivalent world. The setting and language make this series opener fresh and exciting while the characters pull the reader into the story. Highly recommended!
From the Publisher
A double-agent sacrifices all his ideals in order to save his smuggler lover before a government coup takes over their decadent city in Lara Elena Donnelly’s glam spy thriller debut, now a Nebula finalist for Best Novel!
“Exploring the roots of hatred, nationalism, and fascism, while at the same time celebrating the diversity, love, romance, fashion, and joy the world is capable of producing.” —Bookriot
In Amberlough, amidst rising political tensions, three lives become intertwined with the fate of the city itself.
The Smuggler: By day, Aristide Makricosta is the emcee for Amberlough City’s top nightclub. By night, he moves drugs and refugees under the noses of crooked cops.
The Spy: Covert agent Cyril DePaul thinks he’s good at keeping secrets, but after a disastrous mission abroad, he makes a dangerous choice to protect himself…and hopefully Aristide too.
The Dancer: Streetwise Cordelia Lehane, burlesque performer at the Bumble Bee Cabaret and Aristide’s runner, could be the key to Cyril’s plans—if she can be trusted.
As the twinkling marquees lights yield to the rising flames of a fascist revolution, these three will struggle to survive using whatever means — and people — necessary. Including each other.
Story
Amberlough is the story of Cyril DePaul making a bad choice to protect the person he loves. The setting is a city in a Jazz age equivalent era. DePaul, an agent for the Federal Office of Central Intelligence Services, loves Aristide Makricosta, an entertainer, smuggler, and crime lord. Their home, Amberlough, resides in the four nation-states of Gedda. It sounds as if the states exist in some form of democracy with an authoritarian political party on the rise. This is also the story of Cordelia Lehane, a dancer at the legendary Bumble Bee Cabaret and Night Club. Cordelia hustles to stay alive, including selling a bit of drugs as a side gig. Against the background of an improbably electoral victory that sees an increase of fascist behavior, these three characters struggle to keep their lives and identities intact. But Cyril’s past scares him into a poor decision that changes the city forever. Aristide and Cordelia watch their way of life be targeted by fascists, and their city falls farther into the grasp of the nationalist One State Party.
The One State Party views homosexuality as one of many deviant and unacceptable behaviors. As they continue to gain power, they and their followers began to harass and torment those of whom they don’t approve. Under this pressure, Cyril makes questionable decisions, and the story takes off.
Spies and Morality
Espionage is the art of information gathering. While done in a variety of ways, the most interesting, in terms of fiction, is the exploitation of human resources, also known as HUMINT. The people that spies use have different motivations for turning over information, and in Amberlough the ospies prefer to gain leverage by threatening to reveal secrets. Spies seek out the embarrassing, the illegal, and the dangerous secrets that people fear being brought into the open. Divorce, financial troubles, addictions, legal troubles, and even mental health problems are opportunities for spies to gain power over others.
In societies with strong moral values, anything that society judges as immoral is ripe for a spy to exploit. At the start of the novel, the city of Amberlough is quite relaxed with a thriving night life culture. Bars, theaters, and clubs are filled with people, and homosexuality is not on the surface but seems to be acknowledged. The One State Party is much more puritanical, seeing Amberlough as a decadent city of sin. Thus, any “vice” becomes exploitable. Humans become assets.
But authoritarian systems of moralities label human wants and needs as “vices.” Strict moral systems despise sex more than any other human pleasure, and when that sex is with someone of the same gender, the moral transgression becomes exponentially worse. When society makes a person feel shame for who they love, that society makes a person vulnerable. Amberlough plays out the consequences of a too strict morality on vulnerable people.
What a Style
The writing soars in this novel. Ms. Donnelly’s language fits in with the Jazz Age sensibility, and it elevated the novel from enjoyable to a treasure. Because of Amberlough, I now prefer to think of cigarettes as straights. The world of the novel is intriguing and fun. By the end we get a glimpse of the larger world, and I hope that as the series progresses, we get to see more.
Pacing
Like many SFF novels, Amberlough spends a lot of time world-building. The pace builds evenly through the first 85% of the book, and then last part launches like a rocket. So much change in such a short time is jarring. It felt like the action had just begun while reading the last line. Like many SFF novels, this starts a trilogy, and the end rushes on toward book two, Armistice. Overall, this small complaint doesn’t change the novel’s impact.
Conclusion
Lara Elena Donelly’s Amberlough belongs to the same tradition as Le Carre’s novels but with more character depth.