Book Review: 'The Rules of Engagement' (2012)

Arcadia Herne, a theorist at London's Centre for Contemporary War Studies, has expert knowledge of the politics of war and intervention, but she has much to learn about affairs of the heart. One day, abruptly confronted with the needs of a Somali refugee, Arcadia makes a decision that will destroy her neat, carefully structured world: She becomes romantically involved with a passport forger. Catherine Bush's The Rules of Engagement unfolds slowly, but it's lucidly written and — with Bush (Minus Time) holding back revelations until the last possible minute — exquisitely plotted. A-