Who Is Vera Kelly?

by Rosalie Knecht

Vera Kelly is a mystery to everyone – most of all, to herself. In her simmering yet heartfelt spy thriller Who Is Vera Kelly?, Rosalie Knecht examines the inner turmoil of a woman whose all-too-human emotions color her compulsion for duty and obligation, and moreover, her sense of self.

Conveyed in a patchwork of moments in time, Who Is Vera Kelly? alternates between Vera’s past and present to reveal checkered pieces of how she came to be.     

As a teenager in 1957, Vera Kelly is dealing with more than the average girl. Her relationship with her mother is a constant test because of Vera’s disruptive outbursts, poor performance in school, and general disobedience – issues that turn into arguments that turn into blows. On top of her tumultuous home life, Vera is slowly coming to understand that the love she feels for her best friend Joanne is more passionate than platonic.  

Unable to face the stinging rejection of unrequited love and her mother’s disappointment, Vera moves to New York City and never looks back. She integrates with the underground lesbian scene and finds low-paying but highly gratifying work at a radio station.

Cut to 1966: Buenos Aires is on the cusp of another coup d’état, the Cold War is in full swing, and the Americans want intel on possible KGB activity in Argentina. Enter the adult Vera, recruited by the CIA thanks to her penchant for radio waves and knack for schmoozing.

As a CIA operative, Vera must pose as a student and infiltrate a left-wing, possibly KGB-backed student group that the U.S. suspects is planning a terrorist attack. She integrates herself so successfully that no one expects her of being a spy, but an unreliable contact and a dangerous attraction threaten her mission.

When the coup inevitably hits and she is doubly blindsided by a betrayal and the CIA’s abandonment, Vera must fend for herself in a rapidly deteriorating political situation. To survive, she shacks up with one of her acquaintances for convenience until she can find a way to escape. In the end, Vera can only trust herself.

Beyond the suspense, the book’s contemplative undertones give it vivid depth. At its core, Who Is Vera Kelly? is a character study masquerading as a spy novel. The twists and turns of the plot are a scaffolding for Vera’s emotional unrest – sometimes it feels like the only thing holding Vera together at all is her work that distracts her mind from falling too far down into a hole of self-reflection.

That’s fortunate, because, at the bottom of the hole, Vera would surely only discover loneliness. She has the capacity for love and is not at all devoid of emotion, but she carries enough scars to deter her from making honest efforts at any long-term, meaningful human connections. She is like a sailboat with no helm, drifting along without concern for her destination. Her detachment makes her the perfect CIA recruit. She must leave friends behind and uproot her life for her mission, but what friends did she have anyway? What life did she lead? Just who is Vera Kelly?

This poignant look at our need for companionship and the futility of war will excite, arouse, and encourage self-reflection in equal measure.