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Independence Square
'Tremendous...taut, compelling' WILLIAM BOYDAn exceptional political thriller set in Ukraine from the bestselling author of Booker-shortlisted Snowdrops.__________________________________Twelve years ago, Simon Davey prevented a tragedy, and ruined his own life.Once a senior British diplomat in Kyiv, he lost everything in a lurid scandal. Back in London, he is travelling on the Tube when he sees her...Olesya is the woman Simon holds responsible for his downfall. They first met on an icy night during the protests in Independence Square.When Simon decides to follow Olesya, he finds himself plunged back into the dramatic days which changed his life forever.Set in an arena of political interference, corruption and espionage, Independence Square is a story of the ordinary people caught in the crossfires. It is a story of power, and where it really lies in the twenty-first century. __________________________________Praise for A. D. Reminiscent of Robert Harris at his best' Financial Times'A mesmerising thriller... Spellbinding' D. B. John, author of Star of the North'Miller's gripping novel about truth, lies and power is a searing indictment of our times' Spectator'An intriguing, evocative tale of betrayal, revolution and heartbreak' Jonathan Freedland'Utterly gripping, a novel with its finger on the pulse of geopolitics that still manages to move deeply' Observer
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2020
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About the author
A.D. Miller
5 books73 followersA. D. Miller studied literature at Cambridge and Princeton. His first novel, Snowdrops – a study in moral degradation set in modern Russia – was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the James Tait Black Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Awards, the CWA Gold Dagger and the Galaxy National Book Awards, and was longlisted for the IMPAC award. It has been translated into twenty-five languages. His second novel, The Faithful Couple, a story of friendship and remorse, was published in 2015. He is also the author of The Earl of Petticoat Lane, an acclaimed memoir of immigration, class, the Blitz and the underwear industry that was shortlisted for the Wingate prize.
A.D. Miller has been The Economist's Moscow correspondent, political columnist, writer-at-large and correspondent in the American South; in 2018 he became the magazine's culture editor. In 2014 he won Travel Story of the Year at the FPA Media Awards, for a piece about 24 hours at a motorway service station. He has been shortlisted three times for the David Watt Prize, for another FPA Award and for Political Commentator of the Year and Magazine Commentator of the Year at the Comment Awards. He has also written for the Financial Times, Guardian, Observer, Daily Telegraph, Independent, Spectator, Literary Review, Evening Standard, Intelligent Life and 1843. He uses his initials because another novelist already had his name.
A.D. Miller has been The Economist's Moscow correspondent, political columnist, writer-at-large and correspondent in the American South; in 2018 he became the magazine's culture editor. In 2014 he won Travel Story of the Year at the FPA Media Awards, for a piece about 24 hours at a motorway service station. He has been shortlisted three times for the David Watt Prize, for another FPA Award and for Political Commentator of the Year and Magazine Commentator of the Year at the Comment Awards. He has also written for the Financial Times, Guardian, Observer, Daily Telegraph, Independent, Spectator, Literary Review, Evening Standard, Intelligent Life and 1843. He uses his initials because another novelist already had his name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
January 11, 2020
AD Miller writes a smart literary political novel that looks at the events that occurred in Kiev and the Ukraine, and the Orange Revolution. It is densely written and it helps if you are familiar with the recent history, the characters involved, such as Victor Yushenko, Viktor Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko, a stolen election and the protests at Independence Square, a theatre stage set of roses vs guns, with the potential for horrifying bloodshed. Simon Davey is a senior diplomat at the British embassy, deputy head of the mission, with the reputation of being a good man in a crisis. Driven by hope and political idealism, he meets a young protester, Olesya Zarchenko, a contact of his colleague, Jacqui Drayton. He plays the key background moves of introducing Olesya to a powerful billionaire, showing some sympathy for the changes advocated by the revolutionaries, looking towards Europe rather than Moscow and ostensibly preventing a national tragedy.
12 years later, Simon's life has gone down the pan, disgraced, betrayed by Olesya, the focus of media allegations, some lies, aspects true in principle if not in the details. His wife, Cynthia has divorced him, and his daughter, Nancy, does not want to know him. The diplomatic service discarded him with farcical hearings, his circumstances have reduced enormously as he drives a taxi part time, consumed by the grievances, betrayal and grudges of the past. So when against all the odds, he glimpses Olesya in London, he follows her, wanting to understand how his life became derailed. This opens the door to have his eyes opened, he and Olesya were pawns of more powerful players, kleptocrats masquerading as revolutionaries, switching allegiances when it suited them in monetary terms to do so. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, whilst it is transparent who did betray him, it does not seem so obvious to Simon, but he does become aware that his insistence in blaming others for what happened to him is far from accurate, he has to a large extent been the architect of his own misfortune.
Miller engages in complex and nuanced storytelling of extraordinary recent Ukrainian history, of ordinary people caught up in making history, the compromises made, the corruption, and of revolutionaries who claimed power only to become bandits. Miller depicts and captures the nature of recent global political shifts where everything is for sale, with its deplorable lack of integrity, and the rise of fake news. The degraded political establishments have become little more than conduits for subverting democracy and serving the needs of billionaires and kleptocrats. This may not appeal to every reader, but for those looking for an insightful, intelligent and sophisticated novel that speaks of our times and recent political history, then look no further. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.
12 years later, Simon's life has gone down the pan, disgraced, betrayed by Olesya, the focus of media allegations, some lies, aspects true in principle if not in the details. His wife, Cynthia has divorced him, and his daughter, Nancy, does not want to know him. The diplomatic service discarded him with farcical hearings, his circumstances have reduced enormously as he drives a taxi part time, consumed by the grievances, betrayal and grudges of the past. So when against all the odds, he glimpses Olesya in London, he follows her, wanting to understand how his life became derailed. This opens the door to have his eyes opened, he and Olesya were pawns of more powerful players, kleptocrats masquerading as revolutionaries, switching allegiances when it suited them in monetary terms to do so. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, whilst it is transparent who did betray him, it does not seem so obvious to Simon, but he does become aware that his insistence in blaming others for what happened to him is far from accurate, he has to a large extent been the architect of his own misfortune.
Miller engages in complex and nuanced storytelling of extraordinary recent Ukrainian history, of ordinary people caught up in making history, the compromises made, the corruption, and of revolutionaries who claimed power only to become bandits. Miller depicts and captures the nature of recent global political shifts where everything is for sale, with its deplorable lack of integrity, and the rise of fake news. The degraded political establishments have become little more than conduits for subverting democracy and serving the needs of billionaires and kleptocrats. This may not appeal to every reader, but for those looking for an insightful, intelligent and sophisticated novel that speaks of our times and recent political history, then look no further. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.
June 29, 2021
Some years back I had enjoyed A.D. Miller’s first novel, the Booker-Prize-shortlisted Snowdrops. Set in Russia after the fall of Communism, it charted the moral downfall of a young English lawyer. I had been particularly impressed by the beguiling mixture of grit and poetry, its marriage of hardboiled crime and nostalgic coming-of-age fiction.
Independence Square has certain elements in common with Miller’s debut, although it is closer in spirit to spy fiction than to crime. Its protagonist is Simon Davey, a senior British diplomat stationed in Kiev during the febrile days of the Orange Revolution. Davey is entrusted with the delicate task of trying to bring a reconciliation of sorts between the Government and revolutionary factions. These momentous events should have been the making of his career, and yet, they turn out to be his undoing. Thirteen years later, with his personal and professional life in shambles, Simon comes across Olesya, a figure from that Ukrainian winter, whom he blames for his downfall. He decides to follow her and question her about the events which have haunted him for over a decade. He soon learns that things are rarely what they seem.
I had high expectations of this novel but, unlike Snowdrops, it did not particularly impress me. Perhaps I’ve grown older and my tastes have changed. Or perhaps my issue is with Simon Davey, who comes across as a self-pitying whinger with whom I found it difficult to sympathize. Of course, there is no rule that a protagonist of a novel should be likable. However, when, as in this case, the initial chapters are deliberately cryptic and rather confusing, it helps to care for the main character. Once the story gets going, it becomes quite gripping, with the narrative switching feverishly between Ukraine 2004 and London 2017. Yet I could not shake off the impression that there was little more to Independence Square than an exciting yarn. Unfortunately, the cynical view of politics which Davey espouses by the end of the novel, will seem natural to many readers. What I find surprising is that Davey, supposedly a senior diplomat, should have needed to learn this through bitter experience.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
Independence Square has certain elements in common with Miller’s debut, although it is closer in spirit to spy fiction than to crime. Its protagonist is Simon Davey, a senior British diplomat stationed in Kiev during the febrile days of the Orange Revolution. Davey is entrusted with the delicate task of trying to bring a reconciliation of sorts between the Government and revolutionary factions. These momentous events should have been the making of his career, and yet, they turn out to be his undoing. Thirteen years later, with his personal and professional life in shambles, Simon comes across Olesya, a figure from that Ukrainian winter, whom he blames for his downfall. He decides to follow her and question her about the events which have haunted him for over a decade. He soon learns that things are rarely what they seem.
I had high expectations of this novel but, unlike Snowdrops, it did not particularly impress me. Perhaps I’ve grown older and my tastes have changed. Or perhaps my issue is with Simon Davey, who comes across as a self-pitying whinger with whom I found it difficult to sympathize. Of course, there is no rule that a protagonist of a novel should be likable. However, when, as in this case, the initial chapters are deliberately cryptic and rather confusing, it helps to care for the main character. Once the story gets going, it becomes quite gripping, with the narrative switching feverishly between Ukraine 2004 and London 2017. Yet I could not shake off the impression that there was little more to Independence Square than an exciting yarn. Unfortunately, the cynical view of politics which Davey espouses by the end of the novel, will seem natural to many readers. What I find surprising is that Davey, supposedly a senior diplomat, should have needed to learn this through bitter experience.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
February 18, 2020
In late January during his profane rant against NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly snarled, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?”
That apathy was a great asset during President Trump’s impeachment trial, but it’s a fundamental challenge for A.D. Miller’s new novel about Ukraine. Can Americans be made to care about this European country teetering between freedom and tyranny?
The story Miller tells in “Independence Square” is a double helix of espionage and regret that winds around the Orange Revolution that shook Ukraine in late 2004. Having covered that crisis for the Economist, Miller knows its byzantine details, but he also acknowledges how opaque the country’s modern struggles remain for most readers. His novel begins with a helpful note that outlines the basic events of the revolution before spinning his story “in the resulting gaps” of that history. The result is a tense, private tale set against the Orange Revolution but evoking the whole complicated enterprise of spycraft and nation-building. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
That apathy was a great asset during President Trump’s impeachment trial, but it’s a fundamental challenge for A.D. Miller’s new novel about Ukraine. Can Americans be made to care about this European country teetering between freedom and tyranny?
The story Miller tells in “Independence Square” is a double helix of espionage and regret that winds around the Orange Revolution that shook Ukraine in late 2004. Having covered that crisis for the Economist, Miller knows its byzantine details, but he also acknowledges how opaque the country’s modern struggles remain for most readers. His novel begins with a helpful note that outlines the basic events of the revolution before spinning his story “in the resulting gaps” of that history. The result is a tense, private tale set against the Orange Revolution but evoking the whole complicated enterprise of spycraft and nation-building. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
February 13, 2020
Independence Square is the new literary political thriller from one of my favourite authors — the Booker-shortlisted A. D. Miller. The year is 2004 and The Orange Revolution has begun in post-Soviet Ukraine. Independence Square in Kyiv becomes the centre of the political protests which have erupted due to the pre-election poisoning of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, a hallmark of Russian state intervention to eliminate political opponents, whilst Ukraine is in turmoil with citizens demanding real democratic elections and elected representatives who want the country to prosper rather than those in it merely for personal gain. It’s an intelligent and insightful depiction of shifting political power in Ukraine and Mr Miller has done a superb job of portraying the zeitgeist of the time.
Senior British diplomat and deputy head of mission in Ukraine, Simon Davey, is helping fuel Britain’s imperialist dream by influencing voters into installing the candidate that would be more receptive to Western ideologies. During his time “collaborating” with the protestors, Simon meets a young woman named Olesya Zarchenko who he later believes had a hand in his untimely sacking. Fast forward in time to London, 2017, and Simon is all but a broken man working menial, low-paid jobs and steeping in his own misery when he recognises Olesya and decides to follow her to attempt to get answers as to what exactly happened over a decade ago. He swiftly comes to the realisation that many of those with whom he was acquainted had hidden motives and were not aligned with the cause quite as he thought.
This is very much a fact meets fiction, personal v political novel and is a timely, multilayered and complex read. It demands your attention every step of the way to keep up with the fractured plot threads that eventually come together, however, you are richly rewarded for the effort, and I love this type of challenging book. It’s compulsively readable, captivating and held my attention with all of the political intrigue right from the beginning through to the denouement. It is an exploration of topical issues such as corruption, democracy, political power, integrity, imperialism, political activism, Russian imperialistic pursuits and greed, amongst others. This was a high quality, sophisticated and subtly nuanced thriller filled with palpable tension. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Harvill Secker for an ARC.
Senior British diplomat and deputy head of mission in Ukraine, Simon Davey, is helping fuel Britain’s imperialist dream by influencing voters into installing the candidate that would be more receptive to Western ideologies. During his time “collaborating” with the protestors, Simon meets a young woman named Olesya Zarchenko who he later believes had a hand in his untimely sacking. Fast forward in time to London, 2017, and Simon is all but a broken man working menial, low-paid jobs and steeping in his own misery when he recognises Olesya and decides to follow her to attempt to get answers as to what exactly happened over a decade ago. He swiftly comes to the realisation that many of those with whom he was acquainted had hidden motives and were not aligned with the cause quite as he thought.
This is very much a fact meets fiction, personal v political novel and is a timely, multilayered and complex read. It demands your attention every step of the way to keep up with the fractured plot threads that eventually come together, however, you are richly rewarded for the effort, and I love this type of challenging book. It’s compulsively readable, captivating and held my attention with all of the political intrigue right from the beginning through to the denouement. It is an exploration of topical issues such as corruption, democracy, political power, integrity, imperialism, political activism, Russian imperialistic pursuits and greed, amongst others. This was a high quality, sophisticated and subtly nuanced thriller filled with palpable tension. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Harvill Secker for an ARC.
December 18, 2019
AD Miller was longlisted for the Booker Prize for Snowdrops – a brilliant story about a young British man who became enmeshed in intrigue in Russia and then walked away unscathed, seemingly oblivious to the damage he has caused to those he left behind.
In Independence Square, it’s the other way around. Simon Davey is a middle ranking diplomat – deputy head of mission in the Ukraine – caught up in events in late 2004 in the aftermath of a stolen presidential election. The orange revolution may not be well remembered in the West, and even those of us who do remember it were probably mystified by it at the time. The choice ostensibly had been between the establishment government with close links to Moscow and a new brand of nationalist with Western leanings. The candidates Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych – both came across as power-hungry, self-serving and engaging in dog-whistle politics. The impression I had was that the choice was what colour tie you wanted your chief crook to wear.
So, Simon finds himself embroiled in events, apparently trying to nudge them in the direction of the revolutionaries.
The narrative keeps switching from the revolution to the present day (well, 2017) back in London. Simon appears to have been sacked following some scandal – the nature of which is initially not apparent. He runs into Olesya, one of his contacts during the revolution. He follows her in the hope of getting some kind of explanation of what happened in Kiev that led to his downfall.
I’m afraid I found the novel quite hard to follow, not helped by finding it hard to get into. Simon doesn’t seem to have any particular character; he is an everyman – some strains on his marriage but that’s just a standard diplomatic trope. It was very difficult to fathom the various Ukrainians – who they were, which side they were on, why they were engaging with Simon in the first place. I’m sure it is all there in the text, but the narrative style is to let facts slowly emerge from the fog – with the trouble being that the importance of characters and events is quite easy to miss. Then, even when a section does seem to make sense, the narrative chops away to focus on something else. Any tension dissipates.
Perhaps if you knew Kiev or followed Ukrainian politics this would come together. Perhaps you could marvel at how accurately AD Miller captures the place or the spirit of the time. For me, though, it felt like a whole lot of meetings; a whole lot of glimpsing unidentified moustachioed men in the distance whispering into someone’s ear; and lots of scheming – but very little direction.
Independence Square is not Snowdrops.
2.5 stars rounded up because it's Christmas.
In Independence Square, it’s the other way around. Simon Davey is a middle ranking diplomat – deputy head of mission in the Ukraine – caught up in events in late 2004 in the aftermath of a stolen presidential election. The orange revolution may not be well remembered in the West, and even those of us who do remember it were probably mystified by it at the time. The choice ostensibly had been between the establishment government with close links to Moscow and a new brand of nationalist with Western leanings. The candidates Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych – both came across as power-hungry, self-serving and engaging in dog-whistle politics. The impression I had was that the choice was what colour tie you wanted your chief crook to wear.
So, Simon finds himself embroiled in events, apparently trying to nudge them in the direction of the revolutionaries.
The narrative keeps switching from the revolution to the present day (well, 2017) back in London. Simon appears to have been sacked following some scandal – the nature of which is initially not apparent. He runs into Olesya, one of his contacts during the revolution. He follows her in the hope of getting some kind of explanation of what happened in Kiev that led to his downfall.
I’m afraid I found the novel quite hard to follow, not helped by finding it hard to get into. Simon doesn’t seem to have any particular character; he is an everyman – some strains on his marriage but that’s just a standard diplomatic trope. It was very difficult to fathom the various Ukrainians – who they were, which side they were on, why they were engaging with Simon in the first place. I’m sure it is all there in the text, but the narrative style is to let facts slowly emerge from the fog – with the trouble being that the importance of characters and events is quite easy to miss. Then, even when a section does seem to make sense, the narrative chops away to focus on something else. Any tension dissipates.
Perhaps if you knew Kiev or followed Ukrainian politics this would come together. Perhaps you could marvel at how accurately AD Miller captures the place or the spirit of the time. For me, though, it felt like a whole lot of meetings; a whole lot of glimpsing unidentified moustachioed men in the distance whispering into someone’s ear; and lots of scheming – but very little direction.
Independence Square is not Snowdrops.
2.5 stars rounded up because it's Christmas.
January 18, 2020
"Everything is for sale"
Set against the recent history of Ukraine, this is a timely and contemporary novel that looks at the relationships between political power and personal integrity. Concerned especially with the manipulation of supposedly democratic elections, a topic which couldn't be more headline-worthy. But this makes the politics personal.
Miller isn't a particularly stylish writer, his prose is workmanlike, and the political intelligence gets rather submerged beneath the 'then' and 'now' fractured timeline and the unpleasant whinginess of Simon Davey. I do wish authors didn't expect us to believe that senior diplomats were quite this politically naive as lots of plot points are quite transparent to the reader but a mystery to Davey.
Interesting setting but doesn't live up to the promise of Snowdrops.
Set against the recent history of Ukraine, this is a timely and contemporary novel that looks at the relationships between political power and personal integrity. Concerned especially with the manipulation of supposedly democratic elections, a topic which couldn't be more headline-worthy. But this makes the politics personal.
Miller isn't a particularly stylish writer, his prose is workmanlike, and the political intelligence gets rather submerged beneath the 'then' and 'now' fractured timeline and the unpleasant whinginess of Simon Davey. I do wish authors didn't expect us to believe that senior diplomats were quite this politically naive as lots of plot points are quite transparent to the reader but a mystery to Davey.
Interesting setting but doesn't live up to the promise of Snowdrops.
February 8, 2020
There are two settings in this book that are years and worlds apart. First is the 2004 Orange Revolution in Kiev, Ukraine from the perspective of a UK diplomat assigned to the British Embassy. The second is the same person’s bleak life in London in 2010. The diplomat, Simon, was more than just a witness to Ukrainian attempts to hold elections without Russian influence.
In 2004 Simon developed a relationship with a local Ukrainian girl, Olesya whose brother was at the forefront of protests against the rigged elections for Ukrainian president. Simon introduced the girl to Kovrin, a billionaire Ukrainian businessman thought to be sympathetic to Russia. Kovrin purported to be seeking a better understanding of why people were protesting. Simon saw himself as developing relationships critical to his advancement. He allowed himself to dream he was on his way to becoming an ambassador. Little did he know that his naiveté would be his undoing, threatening his career and relationships with his wife and daughter.
Simon in 2010 is a broken man trying to make sense of what happened to his life. A passing glimpse of his former friend, Olesya in London causes him to follow her to find answers as to who betrayed him and why. Stalking Olesya, he takes desperate action.
At the beginning of the book, the author A.D. Miller gives a brief timeline of the events and major players in the Orange Revolution. This helped me to figure out the setting in which he places his characters. The characters are people trying to protect themselves, their families and their businesses no matter who emerges victorious in the political battles. It may be just me, but the jumping back and forth in time is a little confusing. Miller is an exceptional writer and conveys a deep knowledge of his subject. The political intrigue and dangerous meetings remind me of reading a Graham Greene novel. Readers who enjoy novels about Russian life, spycraft, and historical fiction will be engrossed.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In 2004 Simon developed a relationship with a local Ukrainian girl, Olesya whose brother was at the forefront of protests against the rigged elections for Ukrainian president. Simon introduced the girl to Kovrin, a billionaire Ukrainian businessman thought to be sympathetic to Russia. Kovrin purported to be seeking a better understanding of why people were protesting. Simon saw himself as developing relationships critical to his advancement. He allowed himself to dream he was on his way to becoming an ambassador. Little did he know that his naiveté would be his undoing, threatening his career and relationships with his wife and daughter.
Simon in 2010 is a broken man trying to make sense of what happened to his life. A passing glimpse of his former friend, Olesya in London causes him to follow her to find answers as to who betrayed him and why. Stalking Olesya, he takes desperate action.
At the beginning of the book, the author A.D. Miller gives a brief timeline of the events and major players in the Orange Revolution. This helped me to figure out the setting in which he places his characters. The characters are people trying to protect themselves, their families and their businesses no matter who emerges victorious in the political battles. It may be just me, but the jumping back and forth in time is a little confusing. Miller is an exceptional writer and conveys a deep knowledge of his subject. The political intrigue and dangerous meetings remind me of reading a Graham Greene novel. Readers who enjoy novels about Russian life, spycraft, and historical fiction will be engrossed.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 21, 2020
Ever since reading A.D. Miller's Booker-nominated SNOWDROPS a few years ago, the main question I have had in mind is, when. As in when am I going to get my reading mitts on his next novel?
Like so many others have said about SNOWDROPS, Mr Miller's prose is every bit as compelling as the dilemmas it evoked. His follow up, THE FAITHFUL COUPLE, was no exception at the level of the sentence but, for my tastes, it delivered even more in terms of the characters' dilemmas, giving us insights at the granular level of the personal, what it really means to be a friend and/or a lover. With INDEPENDENCE SQUARE he's moved things on again. So, while he's still come to the party armed with more than his fair share of sentences which go off like IEDs, now, it feels more controlled somehow. Instead of throwing down exceptional prose because he can, he is deploying the pyrotechnics more sparingly, where it can be all the more devastating, laid down in the service of theme and plot.
For much of the book, I was thinking of INDEPENDENCE SQUARE as a spy novel. Then I saw another review where it is referred to as a political thriller, and I immediately realised this was more accurate. I realised then that the root of my category error stemmed from the authenticity of the setting and characterisation. INDEPENDENCE SQUARE feels woven from lived experience, like the effortless verisimilitude I associate with John LeCarré. Being someone who has never been inside a foreign embassy or, indeed, tried to mount or thwart a revolution, I loved the feeling of being on the inside, as it were, while the characters conspired in their symphony of moral and partisan dilemmas to unwittingly prove that no good deed ever goes unpunished.
As with his earlier novel SNOWDROPS, which was set in Moscow, the settings in INDEPENDENCE SQUARE feel so authentic it seems impossible that the author wasn't there during the revolution. The references to language and culture are fascinating (I loved the translations of Babushas and other proverbs). I also really appreciate how the insides of Mr Miller's heads are so very different to the inside of my own. Simon Davey and Mr Kovrin are both delightfully jaded, and I loved their knowing cynicism which - again - takes it back to that lived experience feeling. Did it make me feel a bit sheltered and naive in places? Definitely. Still, isn't that why we read? To find out what's going on outside the walls of our own heads?
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me see an ARC of this novel in exchange for a fair review.
Like so many others have said about SNOWDROPS, Mr Miller's prose is every bit as compelling as the dilemmas it evoked. His follow up, THE FAITHFUL COUPLE, was no exception at the level of the sentence but, for my tastes, it delivered even more in terms of the characters' dilemmas, giving us insights at the granular level of the personal, what it really means to be a friend and/or a lover. With INDEPENDENCE SQUARE he's moved things on again. So, while he's still come to the party armed with more than his fair share of sentences which go off like IEDs, now, it feels more controlled somehow. Instead of throwing down exceptional prose because he can, he is deploying the pyrotechnics more sparingly, where it can be all the more devastating, laid down in the service of theme and plot.
For much of the book, I was thinking of INDEPENDENCE SQUARE as a spy novel. Then I saw another review where it is referred to as a political thriller, and I immediately realised this was more accurate. I realised then that the root of my category error stemmed from the authenticity of the setting and characterisation. INDEPENDENCE SQUARE feels woven from lived experience, like the effortless verisimilitude I associate with John LeCarré. Being someone who has never been inside a foreign embassy or, indeed, tried to mount or thwart a revolution, I loved the feeling of being on the inside, as it were, while the characters conspired in their symphony of moral and partisan dilemmas to unwittingly prove that no good deed ever goes unpunished.
As with his earlier novel SNOWDROPS, which was set in Moscow, the settings in INDEPENDENCE SQUARE feel so authentic it seems impossible that the author wasn't there during the revolution. The references to language and culture are fascinating (I loved the translations of Babushas and other proverbs). I also really appreciate how the insides of Mr Miller's heads are so very different to the inside of my own. Simon Davey and Mr Kovrin are both delightfully jaded, and I loved their knowing cynicism which - again - takes it back to that lived experience feeling. Did it make me feel a bit sheltered and naive in places? Definitely. Still, isn't that why we read? To find out what's going on outside the walls of our own heads?
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me see an ARC of this novel in exchange for a fair review.
January 11, 2020
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Having read A.D.Miller's majestic, Booker Prize nominated, 'Snowdrops', I was eager to get my hands on 'Independent Square'. Well, Miller has done it again. This is quite the cerebral political thriller that manages to combine the best of Robert Harris' visionary political world-building with the pathos of a Phillip Kerr novel. Set amongst the turbulence of the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, Miller has compiled a novel that is as much about the human, individual story, as it is about the broad brushstrokes of large-scale historical events. For the uninitiated, the story of the Orange Revolution, like many since the breakup of the former states of the USSR, is a typical one of political corruption and systemic failure, where democratic ideals are a fig-leaf for the continuation of totalitarianism by any other name. Perhaps the names at the heart of these stories matter less than the perpetual cycle of revolution and counter-revolution that has dogged the former Soviet States since the cataclysmic breakup of the Union. Indeed, reading 'Independence Square' almost makes you long for the halcyon days of the polarised ideologies of East Vs West, Capitalism Vs Communism. In this novel, Miller places us at the heart of these political convulsions, witnessed through the eyes of senior British diplomat, Simon Davey. In the present-day, Davey has lost everything. Bewildered and bitter at his disgrace, Davey hangs is hat on the figure of Olesya, a protestor during the tumultuous times of the Orange Revolution, to help him make sense of his past. Yet, this is not a simple tale of political cause and political effect, because nothing is as it seems in the shimmering, mirage-like, independent, 'democratic' Ukraine. The moral of the tale, if there is one, is far from definitive. A very human story of thwarted dreams and the hopes of an idealist, Davey's fate, like many inhabitants of the former Soviet States, is a futile search for meaning and rationalisation amongst a political landscape that is deliberately opaque. It is a landscape full of human shapeshifters; where oligarchs, dictators, kleptocrats, politicians, gangsters and criminals are one and the same. There is often, simply, no meaning to events that are borne out of opportunity and finitely, contingent loyalties. So, if you like your stories tied up in neat little bows then this is not the novel for you. If you are looking for an intelligently written, incisive political thriller that captures the zeitgeist of the post-Communist world, then you won't find a better example than 'Independence Square'.
Having read A.D.Miller's majestic, Booker Prize nominated, 'Snowdrops', I was eager to get my hands on 'Independent Square'. Well, Miller has done it again. This is quite the cerebral political thriller that manages to combine the best of Robert Harris' visionary political world-building with the pathos of a Phillip Kerr novel. Set amongst the turbulence of the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, Miller has compiled a novel that is as much about the human, individual story, as it is about the broad brushstrokes of large-scale historical events. For the uninitiated, the story of the Orange Revolution, like many since the breakup of the former states of the USSR, is a typical one of political corruption and systemic failure, where democratic ideals are a fig-leaf for the continuation of totalitarianism by any other name. Perhaps the names at the heart of these stories matter less than the perpetual cycle of revolution and counter-revolution that has dogged the former Soviet States since the cataclysmic breakup of the Union. Indeed, reading 'Independence Square' almost makes you long for the halcyon days of the polarised ideologies of East Vs West, Capitalism Vs Communism. In this novel, Miller places us at the heart of these political convulsions, witnessed through the eyes of senior British diplomat, Simon Davey. In the present-day, Davey has lost everything. Bewildered and bitter at his disgrace, Davey hangs is hat on the figure of Olesya, a protestor during the tumultuous times of the Orange Revolution, to help him make sense of his past. Yet, this is not a simple tale of political cause and political effect, because nothing is as it seems in the shimmering, mirage-like, independent, 'democratic' Ukraine. The moral of the tale, if there is one, is far from definitive. A very human story of thwarted dreams and the hopes of an idealist, Davey's fate, like many inhabitants of the former Soviet States, is a futile search for meaning and rationalisation amongst a political landscape that is deliberately opaque. It is a landscape full of human shapeshifters; where oligarchs, dictators, kleptocrats, politicians, gangsters and criminals are one and the same. There is often, simply, no meaning to events that are borne out of opportunity and finitely, contingent loyalties. So, if you like your stories tied up in neat little bows then this is not the novel for you. If you are looking for an intelligently written, incisive political thriller that captures the zeitgeist of the post-Communist world, then you won't find a better example than 'Independence Square'.
December 13, 2019
The novel opens in the Ukraine in 2004, newly independent from the Soviet Union, there is now a movement for democracy. Simon is a British diplomat, who is moving towards becoming an ambassador. He becomes involved in liaising with some of the demonstrators and in particular a young woman, Olesya. The narrative alternates between 2004 and 2017 when Simon is living a very different life, alone in London eking out an existence driving cabs.
The story of how the events in 2004 led to this is slowly revealed, Miller succeeds in ratcheting up the tension. I was frustrated when we moved from the past to the present and vice versa as I was so caught up in the storyline.
This is a strong book. I was keen to read it because I enjoyed Snowdrops very much and this is in the same vein, a slightly naive young British man destroyed because he doesn’t understand the psyche of those living in former Soviet territories and how this can lead to an absolute ruthlessness and disregard for the values we in the West hold dear. It is also about personal loyalty and betrayal. It is quite clear to the reader, though not to Simon, who has betrayed him. Ultimately I found it quite depressing, whilst being a very good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.
The story of how the events in 2004 led to this is slowly revealed, Miller succeeds in ratcheting up the tension. I was frustrated when we moved from the past to the present and vice versa as I was so caught up in the storyline.
This is a strong book. I was keen to read it because I enjoyed Snowdrops very much and this is in the same vein, a slightly naive young British man destroyed because he doesn’t understand the psyche of those living in former Soviet territories and how this can lead to an absolute ruthlessness and disregard for the values we in the West hold dear. It is also about personal loyalty and betrayal. It is quite clear to the reader, though not to Simon, who has betrayed him. Ultimately I found it quite depressing, whilst being a very good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.
March 14, 2020
I very much enjoyed this author's earlier book, Snowdrops, but found this less engaging. The central character is Simon, a British diplomat serving in Ukraine at the time of the Orange Revolution. Although he is instrumental in avoiding a tragedy, a combination of naivety and pride leads to his fall from grace and the story unfolds through flashbacks from his present day life in London, as a chance meeting leads him to piece together what really happened to end his career.
Miller writes very well, the Ukraine setting feels very authentic but the plot twist seemed very obviously signalled: this might not have mattered had the characters been more interesting. I found Simon difficult to picture and his similarities to le Carre's George Smiley were irritating because he lacked Smiley's political acuity.
Miller writes very well, the Ukraine setting feels very authentic but the plot twist seemed very obviously signalled: this might not have mattered had the characters been more interesting. I found Simon difficult to picture and his similarities to le Carre's George Smiley were irritating because he lacked Smiley's political acuity.
May 2, 2020
Audio narration confusing which made the story difficult to follow.
June 27, 2024
The story is heartbreaking and blood-chilling, but the writing is intolerably jumpy. Time shifts and multiple perspectives added to the irritation I experienced while reading it. It was both hard to read and extremely attractive, the latter due to its setting in Kyiv, a city I adore. The time and place work phenomenally well.
The book is fiction based on the real events of the Orange Revolution in 2004 in Ukraine, where a bloodshed ordered by Russians to maintain power was stopped by American interference, thanks to the efforts of a British diplomat and a young Ukrainian revolutionary, orchestrated by a Ukrainian oligarch who wanted to keep his business and chose the side that would benefit him most. The details of the events are astonishing—the author, A.D. Miller, was a journalist who covered the events at the time.
However, the plot is not completely believable, partly because the main character is such a helpless wuss. It is a great book because it tells the story of the power struggle in Ukraine and Russian intervention in its internal politics. Many subtle things are prophetic, about the price people need to pay for their freedom and about the war to be unleashed by the defeated party. A few things made me hold my breath.
I don’t know whether it’s true or not what happened on that December night in Kyiv that the main character relives for the subsequent twelve years—the night that brought victory to democracy in Ukraine but resulted in his personal downfall. Was it really that the USA stopped the guns from being aimed at the protesters by the government? Was it true that some oligarch leaked the government plan to shoot the demonstrators to Western diplomats to prevent the bloodshed?
There was a promise in the novel to unveil how every revolutionary turned out to be double-faced, which was not fulfilled. The sentences in italics—apparently someone’s thoughts or words—were irritating. This is a story of betrayal that made me depressed for a day or so. There’s no redemption, no lesson, just doom. And all the Ukrainian politicians who participated in the Orange Revolution are portrayed like crooks—surely this couldn’t be the case. Some characters were completely confusing, like Tina Vlasych, whom I couldn’t place in time.
It was a quick read and a great nostalgic one, as it had streets and scenes of Kyiv. However, interesting as the plot was, its realization fell short of expectations.
The book is fiction based on the real events of the Orange Revolution in 2004 in Ukraine, where a bloodshed ordered by Russians to maintain power was stopped by American interference, thanks to the efforts of a British diplomat and a young Ukrainian revolutionary, orchestrated by a Ukrainian oligarch who wanted to keep his business and chose the side that would benefit him most. The details of the events are astonishing—the author, A.D. Miller, was a journalist who covered the events at the time.
However, the plot is not completely believable, partly because the main character is such a helpless wuss. It is a great book because it tells the story of the power struggle in Ukraine and Russian intervention in its internal politics. Many subtle things are prophetic, about the price people need to pay for their freedom and about the war to be unleashed by the defeated party. A few things made me hold my breath.
I don’t know whether it’s true or not what happened on that December night in Kyiv that the main character relives for the subsequent twelve years—the night that brought victory to democracy in Ukraine but resulted in his personal downfall. Was it really that the USA stopped the guns from being aimed at the protesters by the government? Was it true that some oligarch leaked the government plan to shoot the demonstrators to Western diplomats to prevent the bloodshed?
There was a promise in the novel to unveil how every revolutionary turned out to be double-faced, which was not fulfilled. The sentences in italics—apparently someone’s thoughts or words—were irritating. This is a story of betrayal that made me depressed for a day or so. There’s no redemption, no lesson, just doom. And all the Ukrainian politicians who participated in the Orange Revolution are portrayed like crooks—surely this couldn’t be the case. Some characters were completely confusing, like Tina Vlasych, whom I couldn’t place in time.
It was a quick read and a great nostalgic one, as it had streets and scenes of Kyiv. However, interesting as the plot was, its realization fell short of expectations.
March 11, 2020
Confusing
Simon Miller has his eyes on an Ambassador’s post and on the face of it there is little to prevent him reaching his goal. Sure, there have been a few little hiccups in his life as a career diplomat but that’s true of anyone who is at the sharp end and takes inevitable risks. However, decisions made in Kiev, when revolution was in the air in the Ukraine, led to his swift fall from grace. His chance encounter in London years later with Olesya, the girl indirectly responsible for his career’s demise brings back painful memories which he feels obliged to pursue.
Simon and Olesya are the novel’s main characters together with Kovrin who is a shady oligarch who wields power to suit his own needs. All three are inextricably linked and if it were possible to determine “sides”, suffice it to say that none would be on the same side as either of the others, yet they each have something the others need.
The novel is billed as a thriller....maybe that just the publisher’s hype as it’s not. It’s a study of the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine through the eyes of those directly involved. In that sense therefore it’s in many ways slow and methodical in its approach. In many other ways it’s confusing and frustrating. It’s often difficult to determine who is speaking and on many occasions it’s impossible to work out exactly what they are saying anyway. Much of the dialogue is truncated and only understood by those already in the know and privy to previous conversations which have occurred when the reader was out of the room.
However, the writing has a cadence of its own and flows effortlessly so it’s not a difficult read although there were times when the reader will get to the end of a paragraph and wonder whether the subtleties have been caught properly. I know I did. The ending too was a huge disappointment although probably truer to life than in many other “thrillers”. However, I read to be informed and entertained and in the final analysis “Independence Square” didn’t do enough of either to warrant that extra star.
mr zorg
Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.
Simon Miller has his eyes on an Ambassador’s post and on the face of it there is little to prevent him reaching his goal. Sure, there have been a few little hiccups in his life as a career diplomat but that’s true of anyone who is at the sharp end and takes inevitable risks. However, decisions made in Kiev, when revolution was in the air in the Ukraine, led to his swift fall from grace. His chance encounter in London years later with Olesya, the girl indirectly responsible for his career’s demise brings back painful memories which he feels obliged to pursue.
Simon and Olesya are the novel’s main characters together with Kovrin who is a shady oligarch who wields power to suit his own needs. All three are inextricably linked and if it were possible to determine “sides”, suffice it to say that none would be on the same side as either of the others, yet they each have something the others need.
The novel is billed as a thriller....maybe that just the publisher’s hype as it’s not. It’s a study of the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine through the eyes of those directly involved. In that sense therefore it’s in many ways slow and methodical in its approach. In many other ways it’s confusing and frustrating. It’s often difficult to determine who is speaking and on many occasions it’s impossible to work out exactly what they are saying anyway. Much of the dialogue is truncated and only understood by those already in the know and privy to previous conversations which have occurred when the reader was out of the room.
However, the writing has a cadence of its own and flows effortlessly so it’s not a difficult read although there were times when the reader will get to the end of a paragraph and wonder whether the subtleties have been caught properly. I know I did. The ending too was a huge disappointment although probably truer to life than in many other “thrillers”. However, I read to be informed and entertained and in the final analysis “Independence Square” didn’t do enough of either to warrant that extra star.
mr zorg
Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.
did-not-finish
January 18, 2020I had high expectations for this novel based on my enjoyment of reading Miller's earlier novel Snowdrops.
Sadly so far it is failing to live up to those expectations to the extent that I'm not sure I can finish reading it. I'm about a third of the way in.
The early chapters alternate between events in 2004 in the centre of Kiev with a huge protest calling for the re-run of an election which is believed to have been rigged and London in 2014. We're given to understand from the London chapters that something happened in Kiev which caused the downfall of British diplomat Simon Davey.
And that is the essence of main issue with this book - I don't particularly care what happened to him because he's such a lacklustre character.
The book needs to move up a gear soon otherwise it will get abandoned.
Sadly so far it is failing to live up to those expectations to the extent that I'm not sure I can finish reading it. I'm about a third of the way in.
The early chapters alternate between events in 2004 in the centre of Kiev with a huge protest calling for the re-run of an election which is believed to have been rigged and London in 2014. We're given to understand from the London chapters that something happened in Kiev which caused the downfall of British diplomat Simon Davey.
And that is the essence of main issue with this book - I don't particularly care what happened to him because he's such a lacklustre character.
The book needs to move up a gear soon otherwise it will get abandoned.
April 6, 2020
3.5 I love a good spy novel. Some of the protagonist's ruminations fell flat but the descriptions of political corruption and world events controlled by a kleptocracy are the strength of the novel - it felt real and timely.
April 4, 2021
What an unexpected delight of a book. A political thriller, largely set in Ukraine during the Orange Revolution.
The reviews had put me off a bit, but I'm glad I picked this up.
Excellent story, well written, a definite page turner.
The reviews had put me off a bit, but I'm glad I picked this up.
Excellent story, well written, a definite page turner.
February 5, 2022
The resolution was a bit too abrupt, but otherwise a masterful novel that sheds a little light on events in Ukraine and reminds us where true power lies.
December 18, 2019
This story was rather a damp squib. I expected tension, fast paced and exciting but it was none of these. Very everyday and factual. Very confusing continually going backwards and forwards with a very abrupt conclusion. Maybe I missed something but this is just my view.
October 21, 2022
Not-my-type book.
I bought this just because I got attracted by its cover. But the write-up wasn't attractive at all.
Rating it with only one star, and that too because of its attractive cover. That's it.
I bought this just because I got attracted by its cover. But the write-up wasn't attractive at all.
Rating it with only one star, and that too because of its attractive cover. That's it.
August 16, 2021
Plays like a small, melancholy Le Carre homage—well-written as usual, though with half the book cast in an awkward present tense. Perhaps appropriately given he is an Economist writer, Miller excels in quickly limning various institutional realities without a ton of unnecessary exposition, and while this never feels anything but minor it is also quite spare and lovely; a pleasure.
May 30, 2020
Good premise but meh execution. It's a story about the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the night that the Russian troops almost attacked the protestors but eventually retreated due to some shady diplomacy. This book is centered on the fictional British diplomat, Simon Davey, who was at the center of this "negotiation."
This book is a perfect example of what happens when an author uses too many flashbacks. It's only one night in the plot line, but it takes the entire book to painstakingly get it down on paper. The use of multiple perspectives didn't help the book's purpose, either, and I'm going to add this book to my ever-lengthening list of evidence as to why multiple perspectives rarely work.
Ultimately, I felt like Simon was a bit daft and selfish. It was a cynical novel not because of the corruption of Russian colonialism - which is nothing new - but Simon's inability to be sensitive to the needs of people around him, namely his wife and a female colleague who feels ignored. Simon seemed to be surprised by things that were so obvious that I thought, Hey, I could be a diplomat! The climactic reveal was anti-climactic to say the least.
The writing just didn't cut it for me. Here's an example of the way the author describes a landscape trying to set the mood as a backdrop for the conversation going on in the foreground: "A solitary cloud has congealed in the early-evening sky, hovering beside the gasworks like a monster’s speech bubble." Hmm... gross? Weird?
The plot was a good idea, but the characters felt undeveloped, the way the story was told was messy, and the writing felt like someone trying too hard to show off.
This book is a perfect example of what happens when an author uses too many flashbacks. It's only one night in the plot line, but it takes the entire book to painstakingly get it down on paper. The use of multiple perspectives didn't help the book's purpose, either, and I'm going to add this book to my ever-lengthening list of evidence as to why multiple perspectives rarely work.
Ultimately, I felt like Simon was a bit daft and selfish. It was a cynical novel not because of the corruption of Russian colonialism - which is nothing new - but Simon's inability to be sensitive to the needs of people around him, namely his wife and a female colleague who feels ignored. Simon seemed to be surprised by things that were so obvious that I thought, Hey, I could be a diplomat! The climactic reveal was anti-climactic to say the least.
The writing just didn't cut it for me. Here's an example of the way the author describes a landscape trying to set the mood as a backdrop for the conversation going on in the foreground: "A solitary cloud has congealed in the early-evening sky, hovering beside the gasworks like a monster’s speech bubble." Hmm... gross? Weird?
The plot was a good idea, but the characters felt undeveloped, the way the story was told was messy, and the writing felt like someone trying too hard to show off.
November 1, 2022
My lack of knowledge of Ukrainian history may have been a factor, but I spent a lot of time early on confused. Main character is not particularly likeable; a weak man who has high ambitions. Major plot point is his search for the person who betrayed his confidence; that he absolutely cannot figure it out while it was so obviously obvious to me means he is either an idiot or it was meant to underscore the weaknesses hiding behind his ambition. The latter is more interesting, so let's go with that.
April 2, 2023
All I wanted from this book was just one reference to my heroine, the light of my life, my beloved braided lady with her hair the colour of wheat, however oblique that reference might be. And this was it, on page 52:
“At the front, alone, was the firebrand politician with the braid, a woman who had never met a rabble she had not tried to rouse.”
This book was definitely not as gripping as Snowdrops. When the final revelation came, I was lift thinking, “that’s it?!”
“At the front, alone, was the firebrand politician with the braid, a woman who had never met a rabble she had not tried to rouse.”
This book was definitely not as gripping as Snowdrops. When the final revelation came, I was lift thinking, “that’s it?!”
November 12, 2025
Intelligent exploration of Ukraine and Russian conflict from Orange Revolution. 3.5 raised
I had a bit of a challenge, initially with this one. I’m a great admirer of Andrew Miller, and grabbed this from a search of any books by Miller in my local library. I didn’t notice A.D. Miller is a different Andrew Miller entirely. A.D Miller , also a Booker shortlisted author (as is Andrew) is also a journalist, and was the Moscow correspondent for The Economist, and covered the Orange Revolution. That history and clarity about events are clear, and helpfully explained in the Author’s Note before the beginning of the novel.
The real individuals are then not given names within the novel, but described as, for example ‘ the politician with a braid’ ‘the chocolate magnate’ ‘the poisoned and disfigured candidate’ Their reality is explained in the foreword.
‘Independence Square’ therefore involves itself with created characters, and a view more or less from the viewpoint of those protesters on the street, the Orange Revolutionaries, plus an oligarch, representing the interests of those who follow only self-interest, plus the view of an enlightened but nonetheless full of caution, treading a careful line Western European nation – in this case, a member of the British Ambassadorial Staff
Simon Davey, is part of that Embassy staff, a senior figure. His personal relationship, as the reader discovers, is a little difficult, his daughter, whom he adores, is at school in England, and estranged from him. His wife, Cynthia, is barely speaking to him in private.
Out on the street, in November 2004 he is introduced, by a subordinate British embassy official to Olyesa Zarchenko, a young woman who is part of the group of protesters, ‘Orange Revolutionaries’. Simon has also been in contact with a clearly powerful Ukrainian businessman, Kovrin, as part of the attempts by Western Governments to influence and understand where Ukrainian and Western interests might coincide.
The novel cuts back and forth between the tail end of 2004, in Kiev, and London, some 12 years later. Simon is now in London, alone, a shambolic, scruffy figure, earning his living through occasional taxi driving. Something cataclysmic happened, clearly, in that time of upheaval and tension between Ukraine, and the influence Russia was exerting on free elections in Ukraine.
What I liked was that the area of moral ambiguities which are explored here are not those which might seem to be the obvious story of older man, in a marriage which is disintegrating, and young woman whom he meets and whose situation he has empathy for. Rather, it’s a complex story where a potential act of political violence is averted, but how and why becomes impossible to be fully disclosed at the time.
This is indeed an extremely interesting read, but what was missing, for me, was a kind of heart involvement with the characters which I find with Andrew Miller. This is a more cerebral, written with intelligence and observing read. Maybe I would have been more clearly appreciative of the undoubted strengths A.D.Miller has, had I not made that mistake of confusing him with another writer, and so, found myself thinking something was missing
I had a bit of a challenge, initially with this one. I’m a great admirer of Andrew Miller, and grabbed this from a search of any books by Miller in my local library. I didn’t notice A.D. Miller is a different Andrew Miller entirely. A.D Miller , also a Booker shortlisted author (as is Andrew) is also a journalist, and was the Moscow correspondent for The Economist, and covered the Orange Revolution. That history and clarity about events are clear, and helpfully explained in the Author’s Note before the beginning of the novel.
The real individuals are then not given names within the novel, but described as, for example ‘ the politician with a braid’ ‘the chocolate magnate’ ‘the poisoned and disfigured candidate’ Their reality is explained in the foreword.
‘Independence Square’ therefore involves itself with created characters, and a view more or less from the viewpoint of those protesters on the street, the Orange Revolutionaries, plus an oligarch, representing the interests of those who follow only self-interest, plus the view of an enlightened but nonetheless full of caution, treading a careful line Western European nation – in this case, a member of the British Ambassadorial Staff
Simon Davey, is part of that Embassy staff, a senior figure. His personal relationship, as the reader discovers, is a little difficult, his daughter, whom he adores, is at school in England, and estranged from him. His wife, Cynthia, is barely speaking to him in private.
Out on the street, in November 2004 he is introduced, by a subordinate British embassy official to Olyesa Zarchenko, a young woman who is part of the group of protesters, ‘Orange Revolutionaries’. Simon has also been in contact with a clearly powerful Ukrainian businessman, Kovrin, as part of the attempts by Western Governments to influence and understand where Ukrainian and Western interests might coincide.
The novel cuts back and forth between the tail end of 2004, in Kiev, and London, some 12 years later. Simon is now in London, alone, a shambolic, scruffy figure, earning his living through occasional taxi driving. Something cataclysmic happened, clearly, in that time of upheaval and tension between Ukraine, and the influence Russia was exerting on free elections in Ukraine.
What I liked was that the area of moral ambiguities which are explored here are not those which might seem to be the obvious story of older man, in a marriage which is disintegrating, and young woman whom he meets and whose situation he has empathy for. Rather, it’s a complex story where a potential act of political violence is averted, but how and why becomes impossible to be fully disclosed at the time.
This is indeed an extremely interesting read, but what was missing, for me, was a kind of heart involvement with the characters which I find with Andrew Miller. This is a more cerebral, written with intelligence and observing read. Maybe I would have been more clearly appreciative of the undoubted strengths A.D.Miller has, had I not made that mistake of confusing him with another writer, and so, found myself thinking something was missing
June 14, 2025
Simon Davey is our man in the foreign office in Ukraine, in Kyviv which is on everyone's mind at the moment. You read this book and think plus ca change. The russian regime may change the man in charge but nothing changes when another comes along.
Simon is there during the last russian takeover of Ukraine and he seems to be a good diplomat, until he encounters Olesya one of the young people trying to change over from corrupt russian elections to a new regime led by Ukrainians themselves. Demonstrations are taking place in Kyviv and she is just one of so many rioting young people, and well some older as well. Simon is having to deal with a russian despot called Kovrin who is playing him along all the while. Simon finds himself in hot water engineered by some of those around him. He is called back to the uk in disgrace.
Many years later his marriage has failed, he has been outcast by his only child his daughter Nancy whom is now an adult, and totally lost his former life. He seems to have been a good diplomat and it makes you think why do people go into the foreign office only to be discarded when something isn't really their fault, they have been played, and played very successfully. Being alone, working as a taxi driver and waiting for his pension to kick in isn't a very successful end to his career.
Simon is in london and sees Olesya getting the tube, he gets on and follows her around london and discovers she is maybe not living but working at a house which seems to be Kovrin's house. He waits for a long time and sees her leave and follows her to a rundown house in a poorer part of london. When she opens the door they meet for the first time since he was fired 8yrs previously. He then discovers that she really did give him false information on the demonstration which he passed on to the uk and the usa, which sealed his downfall. She is neutral over this saying she had to protect her brother, grandmother... and she had. She wasn't very happy with her decisions either but they parted with no real feelings for each other.
He takes a walk down to a better part of the thames river and goes in for another swim (he had just finished swimming and was getting the tube home when he spotted Olesya originally). I was half expecting him to swim and then float all the way on the tide out to sea, he was that despondent at the way his life had panned out and the total loss of contact with his only child Nancy, and also his wife. The book doesn't appear to have a definite ending that, although he is still be so very depressed about the way his life turned on that one piece of information in Kyviv, he realises that he now has no options as to which way his life will go forward into the future. And neither readers do we.
Simon is there during the last russian takeover of Ukraine and he seems to be a good diplomat, until he encounters Olesya one of the young people trying to change over from corrupt russian elections to a new regime led by Ukrainians themselves. Demonstrations are taking place in Kyviv and she is just one of so many rioting young people, and well some older as well. Simon is having to deal with a russian despot called Kovrin who is playing him along all the while. Simon finds himself in hot water engineered by some of those around him. He is called back to the uk in disgrace.
Many years later his marriage has failed, he has been outcast by his only child his daughter Nancy whom is now an adult, and totally lost his former life. He seems to have been a good diplomat and it makes you think why do people go into the foreign office only to be discarded when something isn't really their fault, they have been played, and played very successfully. Being alone, working as a taxi driver and waiting for his pension to kick in isn't a very successful end to his career.
Simon is in london and sees Olesya getting the tube, he gets on and follows her around london and discovers she is maybe not living but working at a house which seems to be Kovrin's house. He waits for a long time and sees her leave and follows her to a rundown house in a poorer part of london. When she opens the door they meet for the first time since he was fired 8yrs previously. He then discovers that she really did give him false information on the demonstration which he passed on to the uk and the usa, which sealed his downfall. She is neutral over this saying she had to protect her brother, grandmother... and she had. She wasn't very happy with her decisions either but they parted with no real feelings for each other.
He takes a walk down to a better part of the thames river and goes in for another swim (he had just finished swimming and was getting the tube home when he spotted Olesya originally). I was half expecting him to swim and then float all the way on the tide out to sea, he was that despondent at the way his life had panned out and the total loss of contact with his only child Nancy, and also his wife. The book doesn't appear to have a definite ending that, although he is still be so very depressed about the way his life turned on that one piece of information in Kyviv, he realises that he now has no options as to which way his life will go forward into the future. And neither readers do we.
February 10, 2020
I really enjoyed this author's first novel, Snowdrops, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. I did enjoy Independence Square but did not find it to be as absorbing or compelling as Snowdrops.
Having said that, this is essentially a very well written work of literary fiction and it deserves success and a wide readership. Its subject matter is centred on the Ukraine's Orange Revolution of the early 2000's. A senior British diplomat, Simon, in Kiev becomes involved with a young female revolutionary, Oleysa, and a shady businessman Misha Kovrin. A general election in the Ukraine has ended in allegations of corruption, poisoning of the anti-Russian presidential candidate and interference from other states (particularly Russia) so the young protestors in Independence Square make demands for a fresh election. Western governments support their demands and Kovrin (who owns various media companies) is asked to use his influence within the ruling elite to bring about this new election.
Initially it appears as if Simon, Kovrin and Oleysa are all singing from the same song sheet. But cracks in various relationships begin to appear which eventually result in betrayals. Not all is what it first seemed and ultimately Simon pays a heavy price for his role of intermediary and political fixer. He achieves his professional goals but at the price of losing just about everything else.
The narrative is set in two time periods, separated by twenty years or so, and in two cities - Kiev and London. The three main characters become involved again in London after a chance meeting between Simon and Oleysa. He blames her for his professional downfall but is she really guilty?
Independence Square is not a heavy duty spy/espionage novel. It is more subtle than that and its examination of the nature of betrayal, sexual attraction, political corruption and professional competitiveness is effective, as far as it goes. The structure of the novel was fine but the addition of revolutionary slogans throughout the novel was a little clumsy and irritating, I felt. I was unsure whether they added or detracted from the story and the characters' motivations. It was difficult at times to work out from the chapter headings exactly which time period we were in.
But overall, it was a good read and I'd like to thank Random House UK/Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.
Having said that, this is essentially a very well written work of literary fiction and it deserves success and a wide readership. Its subject matter is centred on the Ukraine's Orange Revolution of the early 2000's. A senior British diplomat, Simon, in Kiev becomes involved with a young female revolutionary, Oleysa, and a shady businessman Misha Kovrin. A general election in the Ukraine has ended in allegations of corruption, poisoning of the anti-Russian presidential candidate and interference from other states (particularly Russia) so the young protestors in Independence Square make demands for a fresh election. Western governments support their demands and Kovrin (who owns various media companies) is asked to use his influence within the ruling elite to bring about this new election.
Initially it appears as if Simon, Kovrin and Oleysa are all singing from the same song sheet. But cracks in various relationships begin to appear which eventually result in betrayals. Not all is what it first seemed and ultimately Simon pays a heavy price for his role of intermediary and political fixer. He achieves his professional goals but at the price of losing just about everything else.
The narrative is set in two time periods, separated by twenty years or so, and in two cities - Kiev and London. The three main characters become involved again in London after a chance meeting between Simon and Oleysa. He blames her for his professional downfall but is she really guilty?
Independence Square is not a heavy duty spy/espionage novel. It is more subtle than that and its examination of the nature of betrayal, sexual attraction, political corruption and professional competitiveness is effective, as far as it goes. The structure of the novel was fine but the addition of revolutionary slogans throughout the novel was a little clumsy and irritating, I felt. I was unsure whether they added or detracted from the story and the characters' motivations. It was difficult at times to work out from the chapter headings exactly which time period we were in.
But overall, it was a good read and I'd like to thank Random House UK/Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.
October 5, 2023
Miller's book has much to recommend it. The characters are well-drawn. The settings are adequate to help the reader imagine. Miller's description of the superpower manipulations, though half-drawn, are apt. I would characterize this book as LeCarre-lite. It needed another hundred pages to develop the conflicts the plot set in motion. The reader half-feels the protagonist's dilemma as a trapped husband and lover (of a Ukrainian woman).
That said, the novel gets exactly right the situation of the Ukrainian female activist's situation--lover, patriot, and victim, although from the outside as is typically the case with a male author. Ukraine's real women--smart and powerful holders of tradition and culture--makes this Olesya feel undeveloped, especially at the end where she needs to be felt most powerfully. Simon, the British diplomat and womanizer, both idealist and sexual realist, never quite grabbed my sympathy. His actions are not quite convincing, so his considered self-drowning toward the end lacks any tragic dimension, seems silly, in fact. Not so the woman Olesya's reduced and compromised circumstances.
The most convincing character is the locus of evil in the novel, the Ukrainian oligarch (of course!) Kovrin, who counsels toward the novel's end for the need for expediency and adaptation. That he is right, adds not to Simon's tragic dimension, unfortunately, only to his pathos. Unfortunately, American readers will start recognizing their own politicians in Kovrin--since 2016, anyway.
I kept thinking what LeCarre would have done with this plot and characters, which is very un-Jamesian of me, and interfered, I admit, with my appreciation of Miller's work. LeCarre would not have let the Russians off the hook like Miller. A mistake I didn't make in my own Ukrainian novel, _The Butterfly_.
The symbolic setup of the book is quite good. "Independence"--what it is, what it costs, its real impossibility in a world of globalized, imperialistic, politics and wealth, how it never quite filters down to where real people have to live--is well depicted. Had the book chosen the post-Yushchenko conflict (2014), when "the bandit," as the book refers to Yanukovich, and his pro-Putin corruption inspired a coup, the gravitas and drama would have been richer and, as we see in 2023, absolutely deadly and destructive. Timoshenko and Poroshenko, major figures of the time, Miller soft peddles. They only have cameos, which is a problem for readers who need a deeper level of engagement with the reality of Ukraine. To turn Ukraine's modern history into a drama of the failed career and marriage of a half-felt, half-depicted, and half-committed adulterer/alcoholic seems to me to be a significant flaw.
The great book of contemporary Ukraine--for Ukraine--still needs to be written. If a Ukrainian has written it, it needs to be translated for English readers and promoted by those of us for whom Ukraine holds Yeats' tragic and terrible beauty.
That said, the novel gets exactly right the situation of the Ukrainian female activist's situation--lover, patriot, and victim, although from the outside as is typically the case with a male author. Ukraine's real women--smart and powerful holders of tradition and culture--makes this Olesya feel undeveloped, especially at the end where she needs to be felt most powerfully. Simon, the British diplomat and womanizer, both idealist and sexual realist, never quite grabbed my sympathy. His actions are not quite convincing, so his considered self-drowning toward the end lacks any tragic dimension, seems silly, in fact. Not so the woman Olesya's reduced and compromised circumstances.
The most convincing character is the locus of evil in the novel, the Ukrainian oligarch (of course!) Kovrin, who counsels toward the novel's end for the need for expediency and adaptation. That he is right, adds not to Simon's tragic dimension, unfortunately, only to his pathos. Unfortunately, American readers will start recognizing their own politicians in Kovrin--since 2016, anyway.
I kept thinking what LeCarre would have done with this plot and characters, which is very un-Jamesian of me, and interfered, I admit, with my appreciation of Miller's work. LeCarre would not have let the Russians off the hook like Miller. A mistake I didn't make in my own Ukrainian novel, _The Butterfly_.
The symbolic setup of the book is quite good. "Independence"--what it is, what it costs, its real impossibility in a world of globalized, imperialistic, politics and wealth, how it never quite filters down to where real people have to live--is well depicted. Had the book chosen the post-Yushchenko conflict (2014), when "the bandit," as the book refers to Yanukovich, and his pro-Putin corruption inspired a coup, the gravitas and drama would have been richer and, as we see in 2023, absolutely deadly and destructive. Timoshenko and Poroshenko, major figures of the time, Miller soft peddles. They only have cameos, which is a problem for readers who need a deeper level of engagement with the reality of Ukraine. To turn Ukraine's modern history into a drama of the failed career and marriage of a half-felt, half-depicted, and half-committed adulterer/alcoholic seems to me to be a significant flaw.
The great book of contemporary Ukraine--for Ukraine--still needs to be written. If a Ukrainian has written it, it needs to be translated for English readers and promoted by those of us for whom Ukraine holds Yeats' tragic and terrible beauty.
May 22, 2020
This is a short but very powerful novel, taking the form of alternating narratives. The first of these is set in 2004, in the immediate aftermath of the Ukrainian presidential elections of 2004, which led to widespread condemnation from Western countries, and sustained demonstrations within the country. The second narrative is from twelve years later, and follows disgraced diplomat Simon Davey, whose life had fallen apart as a consequence of the fallout what had happened following that election.
In 2004, Simon Davey had been a senior figure within the British Embassy in Kiev, and was looking ahead to greater career success, culminating in his own ambassadorial post shortly in the future. During the period of uncertainty and unrest following the election he becomes acquainted with two local figures. Olyesa is a beautiful young student, and one of the more articulate of the demonstrators, moved by genuine outage over the corrupt mismanagement of the ballet rather than more political opportunism. Misha Kovrin is a businessman … well, oligarch, really, I suppose … who had acquired immense wealth during the period immediately following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the early days of Ukrainian independence. He is a political opportunist, with far more to lose, and he seems to have thrown his hand in with the Russian back candidate.
Despite the brevity of the novel, the characters are finely and authentically drawn, and immensely plausible. The relationship between the three central characters is intense, though subject to tunnel vision from all the participants. Twelve years later, with his once successful life now a fading memory, Davey suddenly encounters Olyesa again, and resolves to explore what had happened to him, and why.
Miller writes with an austere elegance, with not a single word wasted, and dissects the protagonists’ personalities with rapier sharpness.
In 2004, Simon Davey had been a senior figure within the British Embassy in Kiev, and was looking ahead to greater career success, culminating in his own ambassadorial post shortly in the future. During the period of uncertainty and unrest following the election he becomes acquainted with two local figures. Olyesa is a beautiful young student, and one of the more articulate of the demonstrators, moved by genuine outage over the corrupt mismanagement of the ballet rather than more political opportunism. Misha Kovrin is a businessman … well, oligarch, really, I suppose … who had acquired immense wealth during the period immediately following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the early days of Ukrainian independence. He is a political opportunist, with far more to lose, and he seems to have thrown his hand in with the Russian back candidate.
Despite the brevity of the novel, the characters are finely and authentically drawn, and immensely plausible. The relationship between the three central characters is intense, though subject to tunnel vision from all the participants. Twelve years later, with his once successful life now a fading memory, Davey suddenly encounters Olyesa again, and resolves to explore what had happened to him, and why.
Miller writes with an austere elegance, with not a single word wasted, and dissects the protagonists’ personalities with rapier sharpness.
March 16, 2022
I thought I'd try this fairly topical book, but set amidst political revolution in Ukraine and the thwarted influence of Russia, it lacked bite, pace or any genuine interest. The first third was a ceaselessly frustrating series of teases about the big event that changed a diplomat's life, and why a girl was central to it. The subsequent story was less irritating, but unremarkable and only really provided the consolation that at least my understanding of Ukraine would be improved.
I can't get away from the baiting of some illicit incident, which peppered the early chapters. It was as though Miller knew the prose was quite boring but dangled this carrot in a naked attempt to maintain the reader's interest. Considering this was a diplomat and not James Bond, this could only be an anticlimax, and so it proved. The male protagonist was too devoid of personality to like, and there wasn't much character to the young Ukrainian woman either, who was mostly a mixture of a plot device and an illustration of the plight of her compatriots.
Much like in The Economist, the paper the author writes for, this was easy to read but fairly forgettable. The scene setting and dialogue tangential to the plot was very dull, and the side-characters were fairly basic. Jacqui was a jealous colleague, but that was all she was. Simon's wife was just the wife of one of the protagonists, likewise Kovrin's entourage and Oleysa's relatives. The plus side was that they illustrated how politics in former Soviet states functions, but no more than that.
In the end I wanted Simon to get a grip and let it go, rather than uncover the truth that is revealed to him, and the (chronologically) final scene was the opposite of powerful. Sometimes fiction allows the author to reveal a truth without risking a libel action, but even if that was the case, the fiction has to work on its own merit. None of the drama (to the country or Simon) was felt by this reader, so it was quite a drag.
I can't get away from the baiting of some illicit incident, which peppered the early chapters. It was as though Miller knew the prose was quite boring but dangled this carrot in a naked attempt to maintain the reader's interest. Considering this was a diplomat and not James Bond, this could only be an anticlimax, and so it proved. The male protagonist was too devoid of personality to like, and there wasn't much character to the young Ukrainian woman either, who was mostly a mixture of a plot device and an illustration of the plight of her compatriots.
Much like in The Economist, the paper the author writes for, this was easy to read but fairly forgettable. The scene setting and dialogue tangential to the plot was very dull, and the side-characters were fairly basic. Jacqui was a jealous colleague, but that was all she was. Simon's wife was just the wife of one of the protagonists, likewise Kovrin's entourage and Oleysa's relatives. The plus side was that they illustrated how politics in former Soviet states functions, but no more than that.
In the end I wanted Simon to get a grip and let it go, rather than uncover the truth that is revealed to him, and the (chronologically) final scene was the opposite of powerful. Sometimes fiction allows the author to reveal a truth without risking a libel action, but even if that was the case, the fiction has to work on its own merit. None of the drama (to the country or Simon) was felt by this reader, so it was quite a drag.
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