Book of the Month - By Kathleen Thorne

Restless
By William Boyd

Published by
Price €11.95

One day an English woman called Ruth Gilmartin pays a routine visit, with her young son, to her mother in Middle Ashton in the heart of England. Her mother behaves strangely and then produces a folder which she hands to Ruth. Inside is a typescript entitled, The Story of Eva Delectorskaya.

Ruth is astonished when her mother, whom she has always known as Sally Gilmartin identifies herself as Eva in the story she has just given her. Shortly afterwards we are plunged into the world of espionage and intrigue that Eva Delectorskaya becomes involved in before World War II.

Eva's family was Russian but living in Paris. Her brother, Kolia had secretly become a spy and, at the age of 24, had been shot to death in the course of that work.

Almost immediately after Kolia's funeral Eva is approached by Lucas Romer who identifies himself as Kolia's boss. He successfully inveigles her, with the support of her father, into his organisation. They manage to persuade her that she owes it to the memory of her brother to get involved in the world of spying. Thus begins Eva's new job as a British spy agent.

She is given a new identity and several forged British passports which will allow her to alter this identity as the need arises. As Eve Dalton she undergoes a period of intensive training in a remote part of Scotland.

She is taught to see the world from the vantage point of a spy. Furthermore she is taught never to trust anyone. Subsequently these lessons stand her in good stead but have consequences which create problems for her long after the war has ended. In this world of espionage Eva witnesses violent deaths and, thanks to her training, manages to escape such death herself. She becomes part of an organisation which deliberately tells false stories to the press – much of it aimed at persuading America to enter the war. Manipulation and deception require "the deliberate surrender of a personal moral code," and Eva has to subject herself to what is required.

Side by side with Eva's story is the story of Ruth's normal day-to-day living in present time. She teaches English as a foreign language, is a single mother and has some modern German connections. The father of her child is German, but is absent. His brother foists himself and his girlfriend on her hospitality.

Ruth is writing a thesis, but is not put under pressure by her tutor. This tutor is of some assistance in the task of bringing Eva's story to a conclusion. The variety of nationalities amongst her students provides her and the reader with some distraction from Eva's story. This and the German connection are an interesting modern counterpoint to the war story.

Both stories have romantic episodes. Neither is destined to lead to anything of substance, though Eva's affair is fraught with tension and is a desperate interlude in desperate times. The two stories cross paths several times but eventually come together dramatically in a modern conclusion to Eva's amazing wartime experiences. Restless is readable, exciting and informative. In fact it is a page turner, and not easy to put down.

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