The Unwitting
Ellen Feldman
26 February 2015
9781447223160Synopsis
Betrayal comes in many forms . . .
At the height of the Cold War, words are weapons and secrecy reigns. These are challenging times to be a writer and a wife, as Nell Benjamin knows only too well.
One bright November day in 1963, the dazzling young president arrives in Texas and Nell receives a phonecall that overturns the world as she knows it. In the shocking aftermath, whilst America mourns, Nell must come to terms with both a tragedy and a betrayal that shatters every illusion of the man she thought she knew better than anyone else.
Resonant, illuminating and utterly absorbing, The Unwitting is about the lies we tell, the secrets we keep and the power of both truth and love.
Not only is the writing atmospheric and subtle, it has great psychological tension. A compelling and poignant Cold War novelNigel Farndale, author of THE BLASPHEMER
Ellen Feldman's masterful, unforgettable portrayal of a marriage during the Cold War evokes the era in beautiful but charged prose. The paranoia of the times crackles on the page as secrets are kept and Nell Benjamin, the narrator, is unwittingly caught in moral quandaries of the 1950s. A captivating work of storytelling that will keep you up late at night, The Unwitting is a timely, must-read novel that reminds us the past continues to hauntAnn Weisgarber, author of THE PROMISE
The ideal novel for reading in a sunny garden is 50/50 bend of cool, intelligent writing and breakneck pace . . . I shall reveal no more. Deckchair heaven (my highest praise).Saga
