I have enjoyed many of Ken Follett’s books (admittedly. Some  WAY more than others), so I was excited to dive into Never, his new novel set in the present (possibly future?) time. My husband seemed a bit disappointed that it isn’t historical fiction, so I am curious to get his reaction…but in any case I am grateful to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review. 

TBH, I read this about a month ago, and when I sat down to write this, I realized I was having difficulty remembering it…until I realized why: I am currently about halfway through Peril, by Bob Woodward and Jim Acosta, and the reality of the current situation is just way to scary. I just couldn’t handle the fictional leadup to world war at the same time as the catastrophe currently threatening our democracy is unfolding. (Yes, I am NOT a fan of the former Administration, and the fact that the reality was even worse than we realized is more than a bit unsettling).

In any case, Never is filled with well-developed characters, plotlines, and drama from around the world. In the U.S. the first female President, Pauline Green, is determined to keep the country out of war and safe from terrorists. She has a political adversary who is an aggressive bully, and she recognizes that “A fool was just a fool, but a fool in the White House was the most dangerous person in the world” (as shown by Woodward and Costa!). As she deals with one crisis after another, her personal life may be nearing its own meltdown. She watches her populist opponent on “…a channel that did not even pretend to report objectively,” being interviewed by a female reporter “…who described herself as a soccer mom conservative, but really she was just a bigot.”  Sound familiar?

The second major storyline takes place in Africa, specifically in Chad, where two young intelligence agents (one from the US, one from France) fall in love as they are working together with a young spy named Abdul, trying to stop a shipment of cocaine in the Sudan that is destined to be sold for a boatload of money to fund terrorists. And in a third storyline, there is a tug of war between a moderate named Kai whose father is a hardline,oldschool Communist leader in the middle of a tense situation as North Korea is falling apart, and there is a looming disaster if the hardliners prevail and a nuclear war breaks out. 

Follett is, as usual, a master storyteller, and the characters and events are related in a way that both enhances their unique situations and personalities while demonstrating that they are indeed completely interconnected. About two thirds of the way through, I had the sense that there was not going to be an optimistic or uplifting resolution to any of the crises, and while I totally enjoyed the experience of reading Never, it was definitely scary as hell, and sometimes hit just too close to home, I suspect that if I had not been reading Peril at the same time, it might have been a more positive (and less frightening) read, but it will definitely resonate with Follett fans, fans of espionage fiction, and anyone looking for a thought-provoking reading experience. Four stars, only because of the nightmares.