The Red Daughter

Schwartz's imaginative reconstruction of Svetlana Alliluyeva's American years is an empathetic and psychologically nuanced portrait of one of history's most singular figures — the daughter of a monster, trying to become a person. The dual-voice structure works, the Cold War atmosphere is evocative on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and the central tragedy (that she can never fully belong anywhere) is handled with genuine literary feeling. Some readers may wish Svetlana were more active in the second half, but this is a worthwhile and elegantly told novel.