Recommended by Alessandro Comoli
Red Notice, judged on its literary qualities alone, perhaps is not the most impressive novel. However, this account of the manager of a major hedge-fund manager (Browder), his interaction with Vladimir Putin, and his uncovering of the nefarious affairs at the root of the Russian oligarchy makes for a fascinating read and is very applicable to the modern context.
It allows the reader to gain a perspective on the modus operandi of the Russian establishment, particularly through the recounting of Sergei Magnitsky’s involvement and the events that led to his death as well as the legacy that it produced. The Magnitsky Act has been since passed, as a result of Browder’s work, in the U.S. Congress and around the world, allowing government to freeze the assets of those suspected of human rights violations and is a pilaster of legislation worldwide.
It is worth always considering that this account is obviously partial to Browder and he has some skeletons in his closets; running away from a subpoena in U.S., the use of Russian tax-haven villages for his financial proceedings and various other details. But overall, it is a thoroughly interesting read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, politics, or more broadly Russia and its foreign affairs. It is also worth noting that its language is widely accessible to all.
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