OUR NAME IS DARE

In Coleman’s novel, political unrest in Eastern Europe tests various characters’ faith, love, and loyalties.

In a small, unnamed Eastern European country, Romanian immigrant Revekah Cojocaru is  arrested during a protest for allegedly inciting violence after a truck drives through the crowd and gangs attack protestors in the streets. Revekah is held prisoner while police search for her collaborators, and many people find their lives upended in the fallout: Revekah’s parents, Alex and Lia, are back in Romania, desperate to get their daughter out of prison, while her younger sister, Daciana, decides to go through underground channels on a quest to find government corruption. Aside from the Cojocarus, Revekah’s pastor, Aaron Iddrisu, is also in danger as a collaborator and recruiter. His lawyer, Karl, is conscripted by the government to spy on Aaron and report his activities while dealing with the impending death of his sick wife. Meanwhile, across the globe, all eyes are on The Cynic, an anonymous newspaper that has unique insight into the government’s shadier dealings. As Revekah’s freedom looks increasingly unlikely, people in her adopted country rally their support. Coleman presents an intriguing and personal political novel. The violence is never sensationalized beyond belief, and its spies, rebels, and hackers receive unvarnished portrayals. The heart of the novel is Alex, a father and farmer who feels powerless to help his daughter but emboldened by her courage in the face of torture and imprisonment. Although the novel doesn’t specify the country where the protests take place, it’s clear why this story feels timely as war rages between Russia and Ukraine. It’s a political thriller without an action hero or superspy archetype; instead, it’s populated by everyday people seeking justice. Although coverups, assassinations, and conspiracies seem like fodder for fiction, Coleman’s work reminds readers that such things are very, very real: “Hope is not a plan,” as Lia emphatically states, but its impact brings these characters together against all odds.

A powerful story of a country in turmoil as one woman’s life hangs in the balance.