BOMB CYCLONE

A work of historical fiction centered on a romantic relationship and the threat of nuclear war.

Mykola Kravchenkos and Oksana Aleksandrovna Kovalska could not be more different. Mykola, a Ukrainian refugee living in Pennsylvania, hears a story from his father of a time after the fall of the Soviet Union when he was crossing the ocean on a boat full of nuclear weaponry. A cyclone hit the vessel, scattering bombs into the sea; all were safely recovered, he says, except for one. Thus, Mykola’s obsession with finding the errant bomb begins. On the other side of the world, in Odesa, Ukraine, young Oksana practices her figure skating. Her graceful movements catch the eye of a secret agent in Moscow, who offers her a scholarship to a mysterious organization—and soon, she’s gathering intelligence for the Russian government. The two characters’ stories collide as Mykola’s search for the bomb leads him to Oksana, who’s on a similar, government-sponsored mission. The two fall for each other, and their illicit relationship is soon challenged by circumstances and authorities. Over the course of the novel, Adams’ narrative voice is stylish and quick-witted: “How could anyone lose a nuke? Difficult as it may sound, Ukraine, with a little help from Mother Nature, accomplished just that.” However, the plot feels a bit too familiar and predictable. From the moment Oksana and Mykola meet, the story beats are easy to foresee. This doesn’t mean that they’re not worth reading, as the journey is marked with fine prose, plenty of tension, a balanced mix of action and romance, and well-rounded characters. Mykola’s lifetime search for the weapon and Oksana’s true passion for figure skating are constants that are shown to affect the characters’ emotional attachments to their respective missions.

An often engaging tale of a young couple finding love in the face of death.