Dissonance: A Novel

by Carol Cosman

Young Soviet pianist Natalia Aronovich is poised for international stardom when, in one shocking act, a Red Guard officer interrupts her performance and removes her from the stage. She later learns the KGB has arrested her father, Pravda journalist Mikhail Aronovich, for his undercover involvement with Soviet dissidents, refuseniks, and Israeli Intelligence. Soviet officials force Natalia to leave Russia, but she is determined to return and free her father from certain death in the Gulag. She seeks help from Yonatan Yerushalmi, a Mossad agent, but he finds Natalia’s request impulsive and refuses to assist her. Undaunted, Natalia recruits Soviet-Israeli doctor Tanya Shlain and, equipped with aliases, fake passports, and firearms, they embark on a perilous mission to smuggle Mikhail out of Russia. Against the backdrop of an oppressive Soviet regime and escalating Mid-East tensions in the months leading to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Dissonance takes the reader on an emotional and unforgettable journey—from the soul of a pianist who must reinvent herself, to the conflicts that usher in an unforgiving war.

406 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2021

Reviews

[Melanie Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember quite clearly as a teenager being asked to write to Refuseniks in Russia so they would know Jews in the diaspora hadn't forgotten their plight. Also the work of Project Exodus, (amongst others) to help get Refuseniks out. So the story resonated strongly with me. Ms Cosman obviously knows her stuff and everything was well researched. For me personally, it was a tad too long and maybe the Yom Kippur war could have been book 2? I had enormous compassion for Ms Crawley, the narrator who was required to perform a number of different accents. As for an Israeli accent, well so many at that time would have been immigrants to Israel. The challenge presented to speak in an accent of a person born in Russia who immigrated to Israel must have seemed overwhelming and I thought she handled it all with great aplomb. I will definitely seek out more by this author and narrator.

[Dorothy Winsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the USSR and Israel in 1973, it’s the tale of a Jewish pianist in the Soviet Union who is forced to flee to Israel, but returns to try to rescue her father. Natalia has until now been able to ignore the repression and anti-Semitism of the Soviet regime, but events plus her love for her father destroy her naivete and lead her to take action. There’s lots on interesting historical research here, with thickly drawn settings. I’m an impatient reader and for my taste, the descriptions sometimes slowed the story down too much for my taste. But the characters and central are well drawn.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo! A riveting read of a period that was the height of the Cold War and the determination of the Refusnik movement to open a pathway to freedoo

Filled with historically accurate depictions of Russia and Israel in the 1970’s, Cosman’s meticulously recreates life from Moscow to Jerusalem with incredible vividness. A journey packed with history and suspense,