Caught in the Current by Daniel Hryhorczuk review

Caught in the Current takes the reader on a magical mystery tour through offbeat Europe and ethnic America during the summer of 1970, a tumultuous period of free love and antiwar protests in America, but an equally revolutionary period in Alec’s life.

Alec, on break from his college studies, arranges to go on an “Offbeat Europe” tour with his high school alma mater. As a member of a nationalistic Brotherhood, he agrees to gather information from dissidents while in Soviet Ukraine. He is ensnared by the KGB and forced to confront his troubled past.

Uncertain of his beliefs, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery through the back roads of Europe to search for his cultural and personal identity. He finds his anchor in Stefi, his girl friend from Chicago, and realizes that the answers he is seeking are back home in America.

Alec’s struggle is at once deeply personal and universal. The novel captures the essence and flavor of this turbulent time – for both Alec and America – and deftly weaves it together with fascinating characters, exotic locales, and a scintillating, fast-paced plot.

My Review:

This was a really good fast paced book set in 1970. The 70's were definitely a different time to live in then the 80's and 90's that I grew up in. What was even more different was 1970 in Soviet Ukraine. I can not even imagine having to deal with the KGB. The author did such a great job describing the setting of the book that I felt as though I was surrounded by the world he created. Alec easily flows from place to place on his European "offbeat" tour. It was interesting to read about Alec in Ukraine and Alec in the United States. He can from the states and found himself in Ukraine. His 75 day tour is the perfect opportunity to be a "spy" for the brotherhood. He did not realize that his life would never be the same again. As the book progressed and I got towards the end of the book I was drawn into the world of the KGB. Alec was definitely a different person by the end of the book. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my ow.