"Pérez-Reverte summons the romantic spirit of an old black-and-white
movie: impossibly glamorous, undeniably wistful." - Kirkus Reviews
(starred review) "An intoxicating entertainment, pulsing with life."--
Booklist (starred review) "Sparkling with witty dialogue, this elegantly
translated thriller is enthusiastically recommended to sophisticated
readers and those who wish to be." - Library Journal (starred review)In
1928, aboard the Cap Polonio--a lavish transatlantic cruise ship bound
for Buenos Aires--Max Costa locks eyes with Mecha Inzunza across the
first-class ballroom. They are an unlikely match. He is a thief, sleek
and refined, hired to dance with unaccompanied passengers. She is the
elegant wife of an accomplished composer, accustomed only to luxury. But
as they embrace in a fiery tango, a steamy and dangerous love affair
ignites--following them from the ship's gentle sways in the Atlantic
night to the seedy decadence of Buenos Aires. Yet as quickly as their
affair begins, the two lovers are torn apart. In Nice, 1937, Max and
Mecha's lives intersect for a second time and they rekindle their
dalliance with ease. But in the wake of a perilous mission gone awry,
Mecha looks after her charming paramour until a deadly encounter with a
Spanish spy forces Max to flee. Decades later in Sorrento at the height
of the Cold War, Max once again runs into trouble--and Mecha. Their
attraction is undeniable but with KGB agents on Max's trail, the small
glimmer of hope is becoming increasingly dim. A mesmerizing tale of love
and adventure, espionage and honor, What We Become is Arturo
Pérez-Reverte at his finest, with elegant prose reminiscent of his
beloved novel, The Club Dumas. Sweeping through time and across borders,
What We Become proves that love, much like a great novel, is timeless
and enduring.
