Finding Alexey

I found myself drawn deeply into Fazle Chowdhury’s Finding Alexey, not just for its layered storytelling but for its exploration of how personal loss, ambition, and memory shape who we are. The novel is a rich blend of political intrigue, corporate drama, and emotional reckoning, anchored by a protagonist whose strength is as formidable as her vulnerabilities.

At the heart of the story is Sofia Tresca, a powerful CEO navigating the treacherous world of international finance while quietly fighting her own mortality. The opening scene, where she rides through rain-soaked streets of Baghdad after a sobering oncologist’s visit, immediately sets the tone for the book’s duality: public power against private fragility. This is a theme carried throughout the novel: how women, particularly those in high-stakes leadership, must constantly balance appearances with inner truths. As a reader and as a woman who wears many hats in my own family and career, I felt the tension acutely.

Chowdhury does an excellent job weaving in the ghosts of Sofia’s past, most notably Alexey, whose absence haunts her every move. Through flashbacks and conversations, we see how his memory lingers like an open wound, shaping her decisions and relationships years later. The novel asks difficult questions about regret and unfinished love: what happens when words are left unsaid, and how does one continue to live with those shadows? I found these reflections especially poignant, thinking about the legacies we leave for our children and the moments we wish we could reclaim.

The political and financial backdrop of the novel is equally compelling. Chowdhury immerses readers in the high-stakes world of oil acquisitions, sanctions, and global negotiations. The Petro Anchor deal, for instance, is not just a business transaction; it becomes a metaphor for risk, sacrifice, and the price of ambition. These boardroom battles mirror the personal ones Sofia faces, underscoring the idea that choices, whether professional or intimate, carry consequences.

What resonated with me most, however, was the interplay of friendship and rivalry. Sofia’s relationship with Carol Cottington, full of wit, competition, and reluctant affection, reminded me of the complex bonds many women carry across decades. There’s both comfort and frustration in these friendships, and Chowdhury captures that dance with authenticity.

Themes of memory, power, betrayal, and resilience run through the novel. Sofia is both a woman shaped by her father’s formidable legacy and one fighting to assert her own. The reappearance of old acquaintances, like Avi Perski, forces her to confront the past while questioning the sincerity of those around her. Can people truly change, or do they simply get better at hiding their motives?

In Finding Alexey, Fazle Chowdhury gives us a story that is as much about international intrigue as it is about the private, fragile spaces of the human heart. Readers who enjoy political thrillers with emotional depth will find themselves fully absorbed.