Lying Together: My Russian Affair

by Jennifer Beth Cohen, Jennifer Oko

    In January 1998, while the rest of her newsroom is chasing the Monica Lewinsky story, television journalist Jennifer Cohen gets a lead that takes her out of covering that scandal and deep into another one—the trafficking of sex slaves from the former Soviet Union into the United States. Knowing that the college crush she never quite forgot works for a St. Petersburg newspaper, she hires him to help out. Much to their surprise, they fall madly in love over thousands of miles of telephone line. Within weeks, Cohen finds herself engaged to marry a man she barely knows and on a plane to Russia. No one could have predicted the total collapse that followed—of the Russian economy, of her fiancé’s sobriety, of Cohen's mental health and physical safety, and of her professional aspirations.
    Cohen's vivid descriptions of her life in anything-goes Moscow—bribing government officials, meeting pimps in back alleys for interviews, being told by her boss to perpetuate American clichés about Russia in her pieces—are a colorful counterpart to the despair and loneliness that replaces the love between Cohen and her betrothed. Their battles with prescription drugs, alcoholic rages, and physical abuse are recounted with perspective and wit, offering a smart, poignant, and unvarnished look at a complicated relationship in a complicated land.

218 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2004

About the author

See Jennifer Oko

Reviews

[La Petite Américaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh yah. I forgot about this one. Wow man. This sucked like no book has ever sucked before.

So, this chick who works at Hard Copy calls an ex who is now living in Moscow. He's a boozer. She's sad. She feels betrayed that an old flame from college didn't have a fairy tale ending. Boo-hoo.

For the best review EVER of this shit-storm of a book, go to

http://www.exile.ru/2004-November-13/...

or

http://www.exile.ru/2005-February-25/...

Seriously. I hate this woman. Literally, I want my money back for this crappy book ... or the opportunity to beat her over the head with it.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not able to put it down. I definitely could relate to much of what the author was going through - losing yourself in a relationship; trying your hardest to make something work when it just wasn't meant to be; unhealthy dynamics; the societal pressure of a young professional woman to get married.. Now, of course, that all sounds very serious, but Jennifer Cohen inserted a healthy dose of irony and humor into the situation. It reminded me of Sex in the City - except starring Americans in Moscow. Speaking of Moscow, the backdrop of this whole memoir - the chaos of the "wild west" that was Moscow in the late 1990s - was so interesting to read about. I remember vagaries of the new Russia (mafia, prostitution, consumerism, etc.) but this provided me with great insight on it. Needless to say, I heartily recommend "Lying Together: My Russian Affair".

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is desperate to get married. She foolishly gets involved and engaged to a man she barely knows. Predictably, she tries not to lose hope that he is her prince charming despite repeated in-her-face indiscretions of various degrees on his part.

I've got to give her credit. She is brutally honest about her experience. This was a very quick but sometimes frustrating read. But hey, if you don't have a similar story in your past, you're very lucky. I read this book a while ago, so I can't remember all of the gruesome details, but maybe that's better.