Those Were the Days, Tovarish

MAKSIM ZIEMTSOV is in a privileged position at the Soviet Union in 1980s. Son of a high ranking Red Army officer, Hero of the Soviet Union he holds the position of Assistant Curator of Moscows prestigious Ostankino Museum. Yet, he is chaffing at the bit .Depended on the chain of command of the Communist system, he is subject to the whim of every link. Series of apparatchiks from his immediate superior to the Secretary of the Communist Party control his life. A chance meeting with a Swiss diplomat and a subsequent trip to his country open his eyes to a different world. After inhaling the breath of freedom he steals, smuggles, illegally crosses borders and winds up in Canada. The other characters in the book, his Jewish mother, his sister in law a concert pianist, her husband Yefim and a touring American dentist exert some influence on him but ultimately it is his own drive for a better life which determines his decisions. A murder and rape attempt are also part of spellbinding story.