I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE PARTISAN by Patrick Worrall Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Epic in scope, The Partisan is a thrill ride that takes readers from the hallowed halls of Cambridge to the grimy depths of the Moscow underworld, from 1960s London to the Eastern Front during the Second World War.
Summer 1961: The brutal Cold War between East and West is becoming ever more perilous. Two young prodigies from either side of the Iron Curtain, Yulia and Michael, meet at a chess tournament in London. They don't know it, but they’re about to compete in the deadliest game ever played. Shadowing them is Greta, a ruthless Lithuanian resistance fighter who is hunting down some of the most dangerous men in the world. Men who are also on the radar of Vassily, perhaps the USSR's greatest spymaster. A man of cunning and influence, Vassily is Yulia's minder during her visit to the West, but even he could not foresee the consequences of her meeting Michael. When the world is accelerating towards an inevitable and catastrophic conflict, what can just four people do to prevent it?
Genre: Adult Historical Thriller | Publication Date: April 25, 2023 | Publisher: Union Square & Co. | Page Count: 397 (Hardcover)
PATRICK WORRALL'S TOP 5 SCENES FROM THE PARTISAN
Two young chess prodigies from opposite side of the Iron Curtain meet in London at the height of the Cold War in Patrick Worrall's critically acclaimed debut novel. They are soon sucked into a dangerous world of espionage and nuclear brinkmanship. Also stalking the streets of London is Greta, a Lithuanian freedom fighter determined to take revenge on the men who ravaged her country and killed her loved ones. Here are the author's favourite scenes.
Chapter 6
"There was a sudden shower of rain outside and the girl came through the revolving door into the lobby, followed by her bodyguards."
This is the moment when Michael, our young hero, first sets eyes on the gorgeous, spirited Yulia and bang: he's in love. A lot of early readers questioned the versimilitude of this scene when I showed them the first draft of the book. Does a boy ever really fall for a girl like that, at first sight? Most of the sceptics were women. Men tended to like the scene. I'm guessing that's because this is the way it happened to them too. They thought it was realistic enough. Bang.
What follows is a detailed physical description of the Russian characters - Yulia and her bodyguards, Vassily and Oleg. Normally I don't like to spend a lot of time sketching people's appearances, because I think readers need to visualise the characters themselves and it doesn't help to be too specific. Also, long descriptive passages hold up the action.
I made an exception on this occasion because I liked the sense of time slowing down for Michael, of his senses becoming heightened as he traces every contour of the people in front of him. He is taking a mental photograph of them, and his focus is unusually sharp because this is such an emotionally charged moment for him. He knows that meeting this girl will define the rest of his life.
Chapter 21
"Someone would have to be looking very closely to notice that you were not really drinking from this second glass at all, but stealthily depositing a tepid mouthful of vodka or brandy into it."
I try not to obsess about historical accuracy when I'm writing. It's my job to make things up and I don't have any qualms about redrafting history if it makes the story better. Having said that, I put in a lot of detail in this book about daily life in the Cold War-era Soviet Union that comes directly from people who experienced it.
This anecdote is one example, and it tells you something of the awful tension of everyday existence in the dark days of Stalin. Parties and dinners were never pleasurable occasions. The Boss's courtiers were obliged to drink enormous amounts and if - like the character Shulgin in this scene - alcohol had the effect of making you blurt out unpopular opinions, the headache in the morning would be the least of your worries.
Also taken from real life: the doctor who makes extra cash by relieving the grisly hangovers of the Moscow elite. Members of the nomenklatura class really did keep a secret number in the back of the phone book. For a small fee you received a house call, strong painkillers, intravenous fluids. The tradition continues today in some corners of the post-Soviet world.
Chapter 26
"Laid flat on her tongue was a new blade for a double-edged razor."
The dramatic high point of the book, in my view. The Lithuanian partisan Greta has had herself delivered like a present to the predatorial Maxim Karpov. She is a young girl, vulnerable and apparently unarmed. Greta manouevres Karpov where she wants him, then opens her mouth to reveal a razor blade. The image suits the fast cuts at the climax of this scene, which are hopefully reminiscent of a movie edit.
I try not to use violence for the sake of it. A fight or a killing is supposed to tell you something important about the people involved. This scene is all about Karpov's arrogance. He makes an easy target of himself because can't be bothered to hide his sexual depravity from the Lithuanians, whom he regards as conquered peasants.
When I was writing Greta, I wanted her to be a realistic heroine who could credibly hold her own in a violent world. She couldn't be Wonder Woman - somersaulting and high-kicking around, beating up men twice the size of her. A teenage girl assassinating tough enemies would have to rely on brains and nerve, as well as a sizeable ruthless streak. Greta survives by sniffing out the weakness of her opponents, then striking without pity.
Chapter 35
"They didn't feed me."
One of the recurring themes of the book is that there are no truly "bad" characters - merely damaged people reacting to the harm that was done to them in early life. This is even true of Maxim Karpov, who ran into the arms of the Bolsheviks to escape the brutality of his childhood.
In this scene, we learn why Oleg, the hulking Soviet hard man who haunts many earlier chapters, is always eating. In a way, the whole book reflects this theme of recurring trauma. It's impossible to understand the seething rivalries of the early 1960s without remembering that all the major players had lived through the horrors of the Second World War and bore the scars.
Chapter 41
"They stood up one by one and applauded."
Another scene drawn from a real anecdote. Exhausted by the brutal fighting of the eastern front, a group of German soldiers still have a shred of humanity left. When they realise the terrifying warrior who has been keeping them at bay with a rifle is a lone schoolgirl, they clap in appreciation.
I wanted to balance tragedy with hope throughout the passages set in Lithuania in the 1940s. We are talking about a country that was invaded once by Hitler and twice by Stalin in the space of four years, and of course the shadow of the Holocaust hangs over everything, so some of the material is unavoidably dark. But there are lighter moments too.
Greta's Jewish classmates may be doomed, but the hours she spends with them are some of the happiest of her life. The intense friendship between this trio of teenage girls is the source of all her strength and compassion in later life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo Credit: One Digital Eye Photography
GIVEAWAY
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE PARTISAN, US Only.
Ends May 2nd, midnight EST.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Week One:
|
4/17/2023 |
Guest Post/IG Post |
|
|
4/18/2023 |
Guest Post |
|
|
4/19/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
|
|
4/20/2023 |
Review |
|
|
4/21/2023 |
Review |
Week Two:
|
4/24/2023 |
Review |
|
|
4/25/2023 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic |
|
|
4/26/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
4/27/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
4/28/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
