Yogev Ben-Ari had married his long-time love Orit, but
when he was recruited by the Mossad, Yogev and Orit's
diverging views on what his chosen profession entailed
ended their marriage. Dedicated to his work, Yogev never
thought about love again until he was sent to St.
Petersburg and fell head over heels in love with the
beautiful Anna. Mossad agents are forbidden to form close
friendships, let alone fall in love, and nothing will
stop the Israeli agency from putting a stop to Yogev's
folly. However, Yogev will not give up Anna at any price.
I have the uttermost respect for the Mossad, Israel's
intelligence service, and what a treat it was to read a
novel written by one of its former operatives. Expertly
translated by Dan Gillon, FORBIDDEN LOVE IN ST.
PETERSBURG is very well written and flows smoothly. I had
however expected the book to be very fast-paced, and it
is not. The huge payoff consists in being privy to the
inner workings of the elite spy agency as it functions on
a daily basis, the toll it takes on the agents' personal
life and how the Mossad keeps a close eye on its
operatives -- which boggles the mind -- as well as the
detachment required to retain a modicum of sanity. The
tone of FORBIDDEN LOVE IN ST. PETERSBURG is very
intimate, almost that of a personal diary at times, and
not for one second did I have the impression of reading a
novel; everything feels so authentic, it felt like a
memoir. And for this reason, the characters never
appeared fictional either: Yogev and Anna are both 40,
she has grey hairs and is plumpish; he is slightly out of
shape. Both are so atypical physically of our perception
of spies, that it made the story even more appealing to
me.
One specific literary element captured my attention:
Yogev's life in one of shadows and grey obviously, a
feeling of drabness permeates the atmosphere until the
vividness of St. Petersburg's colourful surroundings
lifts Yogev of the doldrums, and then Anna's presence
illuminates his dreary life; Anna literally changes how
Yogev sees the world and perceives his existence, as if
black and white reverted to blazing colours. FORBIDDEN
LOVE IN ST. PETERSBURG is in the vein of John Le Carré's
spy novels, where things are never quite what you expect,
because that's what real spies are all about.
What does it take for a Mossad agent to defy his
bosses? What will they do to bring him
back?
Yogev Ben-Ari has been sent to St.
Petersburg by the Mossad--ostensibly to network and set up
business connections. His life is solitary, ordered, and
lonely, until he meets Anna. Neither is quite what they
seem
to be, but while her identity may be mysterious, there is
no
doubt about the love they feel for each other.
The
affair, impassioned as it is, is not part of the Mossad
plan
and so the agency must hatch a dark scheme to drive the
two
apart. What began as a quiet, solitary mission has become
a
perilous exercise in survival, and Ben-Ari has no time to
discover the truth about Anna’s real identity before the
Mossad resolves the issue for him. Amid the shadowy
manipulations of the secret services, the anguished agent
finds himself at an impossible
crossroads.
Written with the masterful skill of
a seasoned novelist, and bringing to bear his years of
experience as a Mossad agent himself, Ben-David once again
delivers a powerful look into the mysterious Israeli
intelligence agency in this action-packed page-turner.
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