Amberlough

Starred review from December 12, 2016
Donnelly blends romance and tragedy, evoking gilded-age glamour and the thrill of a spy adventure, in this impressive debut. In an imagined multinational
setting that owes much to pre-WWII Europe but has its own complicated politics, Cyril DePaul is a young man of privilege who’s gotten in over his head as an agent for the Amberlough government. Cordelia Lehane is content to scrape out a living any way she can, whether by fabulous stage performances or black market dealings. Cyril is comfortable as a dilettante until a mission goes badly, putting his lover, burlesque performer Aristide Makricosta, at risk under a rising conservative regime that aims to consolidate the four diverse nation-states of Gedda into “one tightly controlled entity.” Aristide recruits Cordelia’s help without knowing the mortal danger Cyril has accepted in his effort to protect them both. Donnelly’s masterly creation is richly imagined and moves at an unchecked pace, painting a layer of sumptuous indulgence over a society of corruption, vice, and oppression. The romance between Cyril and Aristide is presented matter-of-factly; the flaws, roughness, and sincerity are organic to the relationship rather than being the tropes of gay narratives. Cordelia is a singular character, beholden to nobody and far more capable than the supposedly stronger people who are enchanted by her beauty and hope to command her elusive loyalty. When goodness and virtue cannot endure, the characters are drawn inexorably to their limits in a conclusion that is as heartbreaking as it is satisfying.

December 1, 2016
A tightly woven and diverse cast of spies, criminals, cabaret bohemians, and lovers struggles to save what matters to each of them against a tide of rising fascism and violence in Donnelly's debut novel, set in a vaguely 1920s milieu.Amberlough City is a place both tolerant and decadent, where the police commissioner herself might watch a transgressive striptease at the city's most fashionable cabaret and where an intelligence officer might relax from classified telegrams via an affair with a flamboyant Casanova. One such officer is Cyril DePaul, who's sworn off fieldwork after a near-death experience left him terrified of torture and doubting his abilities. His Casanova is Aristide Makricosta: a man with as many contingency plans as lovers, the darling of Amberlough as a popular cabaret emcee...and also a smuggler and black marketeer. But when Cyril's reluctant return to fieldwork goes wrong, he is blackmailed (on somewhat shaky narrative logic) into becoming a double agent for the conservative, fascist One State Party that threatens Amberlough's freedoms. As Cyril and Aristide execute a wary dance of lies and good intentions around each other, a cabaret dancer named Cordelia Lehane becomes involved--first to provide Cyril with a cover, but soon she's running drugs and secret messages for Aristide's underground contacts. As the OSP gains power--thanks to Cyril's own machinations--Cyril, Aristide, and Cordelia each fight to save those they care about and, ultimately, to survive themselves. Cyril wrestles with his cowardice, guilt, and the true depth of his feelings for Aristide as Amberlough is changed forever. A sense of inevitable loss and futility permeates this rich drama. The fascists may never be defeated but only escaped--if the characters are willing to abandon the people they love. That dilemma will haunt them, as it haunts the reader.

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Starred review from February 15, 2017

The Federated States of Gedda is a loosely connected group of four nation-states, but the tide is turning politically. The socially conservative One State Party, also known as the Ospies, is creeping its way into power. In a still-resistant Amberlough City (think Weimar Republic Berlin), Cyril DePaul works as a spy. But when he is outed during a mission against the Ospies, he either must collaborate with them or face execution. His decision to construct an elaborate deception endangers Aristide Makricossta, Cyril's outspoken lover and the flamboyant emcee of the Bumble Bee Cabaret, who is also a successful smuggler. Thrown into the mix is Cordelia Lehane, a dancer at the Bumble Bee and Ari's runner. The three risk being taken down by the corrupt police, the crooked government, or their own actions. VERDICT Donnelly's striking debut brings a complex world of politics, espionage, and cabaret life to full vision. The emotional journeys of the characters as they struggle to survive in a society under siege by dark forces will strike a chord with readers as they race to the story's conclusion.--KC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017
In the freewheeling and decadent city of Amberlough, Bumble Bee Cabaret emcee Aristide Makricosta and spy Cyril DePaul have formed a romantic attachmentdespite the fact that Cyril works for Amberlough's government while the more flamboyant Aristide thrives as an underworld crime lord. When Cyril is caught on a mission by agents of the ultraconservative One State Party, he chooses to repudiate Aristide and turn double agent to save them both. Cyril works to bring down Amberlough from within with the help of Cordelia Lehane, a dancer at the cabaret and one of Aristide's associates. But the totalitarian regime that Cyril has ushered in may end up shattering everything that makes Amberlough unique. With rich description and morally gray characters, Donnelly has created a debut novel steeped in 1920s atmosphere and intrigue. For fans of Cabaret, espionage, alternate history, genre blends, and narratives that bear an uncomfortable resemblance to current events.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)