Red Sparrow by Jason Mattews

Red Sparrow is an enjoyable spy thriller rife with intrigue, games, and counter-games. Written by an insider, you know some of these crazy incidents must have roots in real events. The story follows a young CIA Operative Nate Nash, working intelligence assets. His counterpart, Dominika Egorova, is a Russian SVR trained in seduction. I enjoyed playing the games and counter-games in my head as I listened along.

Key Takeaways

• Working as an intelligence officer would be both stressful and a constant adventure.
• A lot goes on behind the scenes that most civilians never hear about.
• Information science is a fascinating subject.

Memorable Quotes

• “I’ve always loved Russian humor,” said Nate. “It’s a shame there’s so little of it.”
• “The long and short of it, Nate,” said Gable later in his office, “is shut the fuck up.”
• “Americans were materialistic, vain, nekulturny. The lectures at the Academy insisted that the CIA accomplished everything with money and technology, that they had no soul. She would show him soul. Amerikanskiy were also soft, avoiding conflict, avoiding risk. She would reassure him. The KGB had dominated the Americans in the sixties during Khrushchev’s Cold War. It was her turn now. Her hands ached from gripping the vanity. Dominika shrugged on her winter coat and turned for the door. This CIA boy had no idea what was going to happen to him.”
• “Not that you’re a fuckup.” Gable laughed. “You’re just known as one.”
• “Za dvumya zaitsami pogonish’sya ne odnogo ne poimaesh, he thought. If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.”
• “What he lacked in stature he amply made up for in venom.”

Rating: 8.5/10
I haven't read many spy thrillers lately, and this was a welcome change of pace. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I look forward to comparing. It's hard to imagine it lives up to the book, but we'll see. The characters were deep, well thought out works of realism within the unreal events of the plot. Definitely a fun read