Comrade Koba

In Robert Littell's twentieth novel, a young, precocious boy named Leon Rozental becomes entangled in the tense atmospheres of Stalinist Moscow after the death of his father and his mother's arrest. Hiding from the NKVD, Leon encounters Koba, a high-ranking Soviet officer with intimate knowledge of Stalin's thoughts and actions, offering a nuanced glimpse into the dictator's human complexities. The story explores the innocence of youth against the backdrop of a paranoid and oppressive regime, illuminating the enigmatic relationship between the boy and the powerful figure of Koba.