Anarchists in Love: A Novel

by Robert Hough

In this compelling novel based on a true story, acclaimed author Robert Hough evokes the political violence and revolutionary idealism that flowed through New York City during the Gilded Age of the 1890s. At its centre are the rising revolutionaries Emma Goldman and Alexander "Sasha" Berkman, whose ultimately tragic affair fuels their fervent commitment to ridding the world of institutional cruelty and exploitation.

Following this pair of poor young immigrants from their chance meeting at a New York café in 1890—when Emma is fleeing a loveless marriage, and Sasha is becoming convinced that only a new system of thought called anarchism holds any hope of escape from the misery gripping the lives of working people—Hough’s narrative traces their diverging paths through a fateful era. Swept up by her new egalitarian beliefs, Emma soon gains a reputation as a rousing public speaker, extolling the radical virtues of workers’ rights, free love and women’s liberation. At the same time, Sasha’s own ambitions become mired in jealousy and inhibition. But when shocking news arrives that industrialist Henry C. Frick is behind the fatal shootings of striking steel-plant workers in Pennsylvania, he and Emma are drawn together again by a plot for violent revenge that will serve as “propaganda of the deed.”

As the first work of fiction to recount this captivating story, Anarchists in Love casts light not only on a politically charged chapter of history, but also on forces of desperation and insurgence that are still in effect today.

272 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

Toronto author, bon-vivant, family man, spelunking enthusiast. My seventh novel, The Marriage of Rose Camilleri, was published in November of 2021.

Reviews

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A swift, emotionally exhausting look at the rise of a famous revolutionary...and the emotional damage she leaves in her wake. It deserves even more pages, but I'll take what it gave me: a tragedy that could have been prevented in the course of personal evolution.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Shirley Hay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating historical fiction novel that depicts the lives of Emma Goldman and Alexander (Sasha) Berkman during the anarchist movement at the turn of the 20th century.

As is so often the case with historical fiction, this novel gave me brand new insight into a time that I knew very little about. The lives and love story of Emma and Sasha was captivating, but so was the description of that time period in New York, when the anarchist movement was afoot. Although their precise vision was not to be achieved, the movement was closely tied to the labour movement and the legalization of unions. This novel beautifully ties together many elements of how we got to where we are today, which is an extremely important when so many rights are being threatened in so many ways.

This novel is a valuable exploration of values and an important reminder of how previous generations fought for many of present day rights.

[Jim Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent historical novel of two famous anarchists, Emma Goldman and Sasha Berkman. The author conveys the sights, sounds, smells and the ideologies of New York City in the Gilded Age, during the rise of capitalism and the tentative, formative steps of trade unions. Underneath it all, a love story.

[Stephanie H]

DNF’d very early into it. I couldn’t get into this one unfortunately.