Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht

WHO IS VERA KELLY? by Rosalie Knecht has been called a literary spy novel which is an apt description, In fact, Knecht’s intriguing exploration of identity and coming of age mixed with political tension applies to her earlier work, Relief Map, which I also recommend. The setting for WHO IS VERA KELLY? alternates between the late 1950s on the East Coast of the United States and mid-1960s Cold War era in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  As a troubled teen dealing with her father’s death and exploring her own sexual identity, Vera is sent to reform school; less than a decade later she has been recruited to work for the CIA in South America and faces a coup on the near horizon. Knecht’s writing always captures my attention and I am fascinated by the misunderstandings and quick, clever thinking her characters experience. There is a wonderful balance between internal dialogues and action-packed suspense. This cover is fabulous, too, and it’s helping to promote the book – the person in the queue in front of me at the public library was checking it out today. Our copy of WHO IS VERA KELLY? will be on the school library shelves soon.