Isolde

Odoevtseva’s arresting 1929 novel of dissipated Russian youth appears in English for the first time with this stylish translation. Fourteen-year-old Russian emigree Liza meets English teenager Cromwell while both are on vacation in Biarritz, France, in the late 1920s. Cromwell falls immediately in love, claiming Liza is the precise embodiment of the heroine Isolde. Liza; her brother, Nikolai; and her friend Odette take advantage of Cromwell’s wealth and car until it is time for them to return to Paris. Cromwell, whose mother does not approve of his fast lifestyle, temporarily cuts him off financially, and the Russians lose interest when he admits his lack of cash. After Liza’s neglectful, selfish mother abandons the children to travel with a new lover, Nikolai convinces Liza he needs Cromwell to steal his family’s money so they all can flee to Russia with important royalist documents. Liza, full of confused, fantastical memories of Russia, agrees to take part and ignores the obvious signs the plan is much more sinister until too late. Liza’s overt sexualization by men (teenage and adult) is shocking to read, but Odoevtseva portrays the adolescent mix of naïveté and conviction beautifully. Readers will be entertained by this measured thriller and its self-absorbed characters. [em](Nov.) [/em]