An interesting if rather a slow-moving story set in the turmoil of post-USSR Ukraine. The plot documents the disintegration of both the professional and personal lives of a British consular official based in Kiev. The book is written in a time shift style moving back and forth between the present day in London and the previous events in Kiev which brought about his downfall. In the beginning, I found this somewhat confusing before it fell into place. There are similarities to the author's previous book Snowdrops which in my view was a far better story.

I wanted to read this because I had enjoyed 'Snowdrops' a few years ago. 'Independence Square' is a different read - I found it very difficult to keep a track on what was going on. The split timeframe was too disjointed and left me wondering where the plot was going. The action is snail paced - there is an uprising and then it dissipates, in the meantime the main character gets stitched up by someone. I really did not have much sympathy for the character, it appears that he was falsely accused of having an affair, but he had had a dalliance in his preceding posting so hey, it catches up with you in the end. Sadly, not for me.

Some years back I had enjoyed A.D. Miller’s first novel, the Booker-Prize-shortlisted Snowdrops. Set in Russia after the fall of Communism, it charted the moral downfall of a young English lawyer. I had been particularly impressed by the beguiling mixture of grit and poetry, its marriage of hardboiled crime and nostalgic coming-of-age fiction.

Independence Square has certain elements in common with Miller’s debut, although it is closer in spirit to spy fiction than to crime. Its protagonist is Simon Davey, a senior British diplomat stationed in Kiev during the febrile days of the Orange Revolution. Davey is entrusted with the delicate task of trying to bring a reconciliation of sorts between the Government and revolutionary factions. These momentous events should have been the making of his career, and yet, they turn out to be his undoing. Thirteen years later, with his personal and professional life in shambles, Simon comes across Olesya, a figure from that Ukrainian winter, whom he blames for his downfall. He decides to follow her and question her about the events which have haunted him for over a decade. He soon learns that things are rarely what they seem.

I had high expectations of this novel but, unlike Snowdrops, it did not particularly impress me. Perhaps I’ve grown older and my tastes have changed. Or perhaps my issue is with Simon Davey, who comes across as a self-pitying whinger with whom I found it difficult to sympathize. Of course, there is no rule that a protagonist of a novel should be likable. However, when, as in this case, the initial chapters are deliberately cryptic and rather confusing, it helps to care for the main character. Once the story gets going, it becomes quite gripping, with the narrative switching feverishly between Ukraine 2004 and London 2017. Yet I could not shake off the impression that there was little more to Independence Square than an exciting yarn. Unfortunately, the cynical view of politics which Davey espouses by the end of the novel, will seem natural to many readers. What I find surprising is that Davey, supposedly a senior diplomat, should have needed to learn this through bitter experience.

This story was rather a damp squib. I expected tension, fast paced and exciting but it was none of these. Very everyday and factual. Very confusing continually going backwards and forwards with a very abrupt conclusion. Maybe I missed something but this is just my view.

AD Miller was longlisted for the Booker Prize for Snowdrops – a brilliant story about a young British man who became enmeshed in intrigue in Russia and then walked away unscathed, seemingly oblivious to the damage he has caused to those he left behind.

In Independence Square, it’s the other way around. Simon Davey is a middle ranking diplomat – deputy head of mission in the Ukraine – caught up in events in late 2004 in the aftermath of a stolen presidential election. The orange revolution may not be well remembered in the West, and even those of us who do remember it were probably mystified by it at the time. The choice ostensibly had been between the establishment government with close links to Moscow and a new brand of nationalist with Western leanings. The candidates Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych – both came across as power-hungry, self-serving and engaging in dog-whistle politics. The impression I had was that the choice was what colour tie you wanted your chief crook to wear.

So, Simon finds himself embroiled in events, apparently trying to nudge them in the direction of the revolutionaries.

The narrative keeps switching from the revolution to the present day (well, 2017) back in London. Simon appears to have been sacked following some scandal – the nature of which is initially not apparent. He runs into Olesya, one of his contacts during the revolution. He follows her in the hope of getting some kind of explanation of what happened in Kiev that led to his downfall.

I’m afraid I found the novel quite hard to follow, not helped by finding it hard to get into. Simon doesn’t seem to have any particular character; he is an everyman – some strains on his marriage but that’s just a standard diplomatic trope. It was very difficult to fathom the various Ukrainians – who they were, which side they were on, why they were engaging with Simon in the first place. I’m sure it is all there in the text, but the narrative style is to let facts slowly emerge from the fog – with the trouble being that the importance of characters and events is quite easy to miss. Then, even when a section does seem to make sense, the narrative chops away to focus on something else. Any tension dissipates.

Perhaps if you knew Kiev or followed Ukrainian politics this would come together. Perhaps you could marvel at how accurately AD Miller captures the place or the spirit of the time. For me, though, it felt like a whole lot of meetings; a whole lot of glimpsing unidentified moustachioed men in the distance whispering into someone’s ear; and lots of scheming – but very little direction.

Independence Square is not Snowdrops.

2.5 stars rounded up because it's Christmas.

The novel opens in the Ukraine in 2004, newly independent from the Soviet Union there is a movement for democracy. Simon is a British diplomat, who is moving towards becoming an ambassador. He becomes involved in liaising with some of the demonstrators and in particular becomes close to a young woman, Olesya. The narrative alternates between the events of 2004 and 2017 when Simon is living a very different life, alone in London eking out an existence driving cabs.

The story of how the events in 2004 led to this is slowly revealed, Miller succeeds in ratcheting up the tension. I was frustrated when we moved from the past to the present and vice versa as I was so caught up in the events.

This is a strong book. I was keen to read it because I enjoyed Snowdrops very much and this is in the same vein, a slightly naive young British man destroyed because he doesn’t understand the psyche of those living in former Soviet territories and how it can lead to an absolute ruthlessness and disregard for the values we in the West hold dear. Ultimately I found it quite depressing, whilst being a very good read.

"Everything is for sale"

Set against the recent history of Ukraine, this is a timely and contemporary novel that looks at the relationships between political power and personal integrity. Concerned especially with the manipulation of supposedly democratic elections, a topic which couldn't be more headline-worthy. But this makes the politics personal and in that sense made me think of both Graham Green and 1984, albeit in different ways. Miller isn't a particularly stylish writer, his prose is workmanlike, but there's a strong narrative drive alongside the political intelligence.