Atomic Love by Jennie Fields

Synopsis
Chicago, 1950.

Rosalind Porter has always defied expectations – in her work as a physicist on the Manhattan Project to design the atomic bomb, and in her passionate love affair with coworker Thomas Weaver.

Five years after the end of both, her guilt over the results of her work and her heartbreak over Weaver are intertwined. She has almost succeeded in resigning herself to a more conventional life . . .

Then Weaver gets back in touch. But so does the FBI.

Agent Charlie Szydlo wants Rosalind to spy on Weaver, whom the FBI suspects of selling nuclear secrets to Russia.

As Rosalind’s final assignment launches her on a dangerous mission to find the truth, she faces a heartbreaking choice . . .

Believe the man who taught her how to love?

Or trust the man who her love might save?

Review
1950 Chicago, five years after the end of the war, Rosalind Porter is working on the jewelrey counter of a department store, a far cry from her being on the team of the Manhattan Project. Still feeling guilt over the devestation caused by the bomb, she is further thrown into turmoil by the reappearance of her ex lover and colleague Thomas Weaver, the man who betrayed her both professionally and personally. Approached by FBI Agent Charlie Szydlo, who wants her to gain information on Weaver, who they believe to be selling information to the Russians, Rosalind finds herself at the centre of a very dangerous game. Can she trust Weaver, who stole her heart and whom she still loves, or should she trust Szydlo, a man who could be part of her future.

Atomic Love is a book that really packs a punch, with it’s heady mix of espionage, romance, thrills and secrets. The story is told from the point of view of Rosalind and Charlie. Rosalind is a damaged character, brought up by her sister after her mother’s death, and lacking a mother’s love, and her intelligence and passion for science been seen as more of a problem in a society where women were supposed to just want to be a wife and a mother. But it was her brilliance that saw her become the only female physcist on the infamous Manhattan Project, where she met Weaver.Lacking in a mother’s love, and not having any previous relationships, Weaver’s attention flattered her and opened up whole new side to herself which why his betrayal hurt so much. Her guilt at her part in the construction of the Atom Bomb, and how it was used to such a horrific effect, has put her passion for science to the side, and sees her leading a more ordinary life, a life that leaves her unfilled. With Weaver coming back to her life she has to face her breakdown after he left her five years ago, her anger and not wanting to see him is understandable. It is only because of the FBI she agrees to meet him, and we see Rosalind torn in her emotions,over a more sensitive and apologetic Weaver and her hate for him and his supposed role in selling information to the Russians. Into this heady mix comes Charlie Szydlo, also damaged by the war. There are sections of the book looking back at his time as a Prisoner of War in Japan, and the horrors he witnesses and the cruelty he suffered, which has left him with nightmares and what we would call PTSD. His time with Rosalind, as handler and informant, sees the lines blurred as both have feelings for each other, both damaged but maybe they could help heal each other. Charlie believes he only survived the Prison Camp because the Atomic Bomb was dropped, giving a different slant for Rosalind, something positive to come out of the devastation.

Jennie Fields really captures the zeitgeist of 1950’s America, the new war on Communism, and the after effects of the war. Veterans reurning face both physical and mental disabilities, many being left homeless and begging on the streets, others waking screaming at night reliving the attrocities they faced. She also highlghts the role of women who during the war were given resposible jobs, but after the war and the return of the men they are expected to go back to being a wife and mother.

I loved reading Atomic Love with it’s heady mix of secrets, love, passion and betrayal. I am someone who really doesn’t understands science, but Jennie Fields made this interesting and accessible to me, which is a miracle. I was intrigued by how Rosalind felt after the bomb, the guilt that plagued her at her role in the making of it. The depth of the characters and their personal histories, together with a thrilling plot line made this such an a compelling and captivating read that I didn’t want to end.

I would like to thank Sirya Varadharajan at Penguin Random House for my copy of this book and invite on to the blog tour.