The Invention of Exile

An incident from her own family history inspired Manko’s fine fiction debut, in which Austin Voronkov, a Russian engineer and inventor, emigrates to the U.S. in 1913 and finds employment as an inspector at an armaments factory in Bridgeport, Conn. Falsely accused of being an anarchist, Austin is deported back to Russia; his new American wife, Julia, accompanies him. The couple make their way to Mexico, where Julia gives birth to three children and is eventually permitted to return to the U.S. with them. But Austin isn’t allowed back into the States and stays behind. Most of the novel is set in Mexico City in 1948. There the exiled Austin finds himself caught in a bureaucratic nightmare, unable to cross the border and shadowed by an intimidating FBI agent named Jack. The beating heart of Manko’s story is Austin’s determination to be reunited with his family (Aug.)