A Slight Curve

by Anatoly Molotkov

Two women never meet, but their lives collide. Ulrike is an East German immigrant and Stasi survivor who still struggles with the effects of the totalitarian regime on her psyche. Her husband Peter is one of the people who must pay the price. Ruth is a California chemist with secrets in her family who just lost her father under mysterious circumstances and is witnessing her mother's descent into alcoholism. When Ulrike is gone, a hesitant friendship starts between Peter and Ruth. Or is it more than a friendship? Follow these strong, opinionated women on their paths before and after a pivotal moment that bonds their lives forever, even beyond death.

254 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2025

Reviews

[Simon Langley-Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a real treat. A Slight Curve is told from the perspectives of two women, Ruth and Ulrike, who never meet but whose lives intersect on a stretch of Californian road where the tarmac follows a slight curve. Both women are bound up in secrets. Ulrike grew up in East Germany, where the Stasi drew her into their orbit. Ruth, meanwhile, has just lost her father under mysterious circumstances and is beginning to realise he was not the man she believed him to be. Their lives unfold in shocking ways, filled with disconcerting, unexpected events that evoke both horror and sympathy.

Beautifully written, with a narrative that shifts seamlessly between the two women and across different periods of time, A Slight Curve explores difficult themes with great sensitivity. Ruth is a character I could both like and feel deeply for, pitched into circumstances beyond her control. Ulrike, by contrast, is not immediately likeable—deceitful and secretive—yet I found myself compelled to understand her and discover how she ended up where she did. I particularly enjoyed the subtle ways in which their stories begin to intertwine, for example through the role of the detective, Rodriguez. This enmeshing cleverly occurred in their past histories and in their future as Ruth formed a relationship with Ulrike’s husband, Peter.

Thank you to the author and LibraryThing for access to a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two different women, from two vastly different backgrounds, never meet, but their lives intersect in a most horrific way that bonds them. One from East Germany, one from the United States. How could their lives be so different yet so alike? Mr. Molotkov writes a beautiful and lyrical story that you will not be able to put down. I highly recommend reading this intriguing book.
Thank you to Librarything.com and Running Wild Press for a copy of this book.