Books Set in North America, United States, New York, New York

The Hours Count, by Jillian Cantor (2015)

This novel imagines a friendship between Ethel Rosenberg and (fictional) Mildred Stein.  Ethel and Julius (Julie) Rosenberg and the Steins are two young couples living an high-rise in Knickerbocker Village in the Lower East Side, New York in the 1940s.  The Rosenbergs are a loving couple with 2 young sons.  The Steins, on the other hand, are in a loveless marriage with a young autistic son.

Ed Stein was an immigrant from Russia.  He and Millie married mostly because it was time and Ed needed an American wife.  When it becomes clear that their son, David, is not “normal” and is unable to communicate with anyone, Ed loses interest in him and is continually pestering Millie for another child.

At this period in history, Russians are looked upon with suspicion and communism is becoming a dirty word.  At a party of fellow communist at the Rosenberg’s apartment, Millie meets Dr. Jake Gold, who claims he is friends with the Rosenberg’s, although Ethel later denies known him.  Jake Gold is a psychologist and tells Millie that he can help her son.  Soon Millie and David are meeting Dr. Gold on a regular basis.  David takes a liking to Dr. Gold, and Millie finds herself falling in love with him.

Millie takes a trip with David, ostensibly to visit the Rosenberg’s in the Catskills, with a brief stop to be with Jake Gold.  They have a one-night stand, and Millie becomes pregnant.  Things Jake tells her, however, that Millie knows are not true.  Still, she continues to long for him, as her own marriage begins to crumble.  Can she trust Jake even though she knows he doesn’t always tell her the truth?  [Spoiler:  Jake Gold is actually an FBI agent who was investigating Soviet spies.]

Soon it becomes apparent that the FBI is on the lookout for “atomic” spies, and suspicion falls on Ed Stein, who disappears from the family, and the Rosenbergs.  The novel begins on the day Ethel Rosenberg is to be executed.  Millie believes that Ethel is innocent and claims to have proof that will exonerate her.

I found this book to be annoying.  It started off well, but Millie’s pining for Jake didn’t ring true.  Furthermore, the author changed the names of the Rosenberg’s children for no apparent reason.  Although there is a kernel of truth in the novel (the Rosenberg’s were tried, found guilty of espionage and executed), the fictional story of Millie’s life and longing for Jake got in the way of the story.

Read:  November 11, 2021

2 Stars