Soviet circus performers arrived in America hoping to build cultural bridges. Instead, they became unwitting pawns in a Cold War game of international intrigue.
When the first privately owned Soviet circus arrived in 1990 in America as the Soviet Union disintegrated, its elite performers expected to build cultural bridges through spectacular shows. Instead, this prestigious troupe faced a perilous journey through Cold War America.
Circus director Yuri had to navigate treacherous waters where American mobsters, Soviet agents, and political forces circled like predators. Young aerialist Anton dreamed of becoming a clown against his family’s wishes, while forbidden romances and unexpected connections bloomed between Soviet performers and Americans who saw past the ideological divide. As high-stakes conspiracies threatened to tear the circus family apart, they had to choose between the authoritarian chains of home and the uncertain promise of freedom.
As the Ringmaster reminds us, “The best Soviet stories are like vodka—they burn with suffering, intoxicate with conflict, keep you stewing in reflection, and yearning for your heart’s desire.” This genre-bending tale explores whether human connection can transcend ideology—and whether storytelling can bridge the divides that separate us.
Circus Bim Bom offers an innovative multimedia reading experience. The novel includes 45+ YouTube links to period music, historical speeches, and cultural moments embedded throughout—readers can listen to the actual songs characters dance to as they waltz, and watch Reagan's Brandenburg Gate speech as it's referenced in the text.
The companion website (www.bimbombookclub.com) extends the story beyond the page:
Character Avatars: 25+ talking video introductions where characters speak directly to readers
Re-Imagined Circus Posters
Book Club Experience: Interactive forums, live chat, and community discussions
Historians Room (under construction): A space for Cold War history buffs to fact-check the novel, explore primary sources, and debate historical accuracy
This book completely took me by surprise. I went in expecting a quirky historical drama about a Soviet circus touring America at the end of the Cold War, and what I got was something far stranger, bolder and more alive. It reads like a travelling spectacle in its own right, constantly shifting tone between comedy, tension, political satire and very raw, very human emotion.
Following the performers as they arrive in the United States is fascinating. Their first encounters with American culture – from Times Square chaos to their baffling first taste of fast food – are funny, awkward and oddly touching. At the same time, there’s a constant undercurrent of danger and control hanging over them, with watchers, minders and hidden agendas reminding you that these aren’t simply free artists on tour.
The cast is huge but memorable. Some characters are warm and idealistic, others manipulative or frightening, and many sit somewhere in between. Relationships form quickly under pressure, and not all of them are safe or sensible. The clash between repression and temptation runs right through the story, and when characters push against their boundaries the consequences can be explosive.
What makes the book even more intriguing is how close it feels to real history. It’s inspired by events from 1990, and at times it genuinely reads like a wild, half-forgotten episode from the end of the Cold War. At the same time, the author is clear that this isn’t a factual retelling. The characters and situations are fictionalised, exaggerated and often satirical, even when they’re loosely inspired by real people. That blend of reality and invention gives the story a strange, compelling edge where you’re never quite sure what might be drawn from truth and what is pure imaginative flourish.
It’s also one of the most unusual books I’ve read in terms of format. Music is woven directly into the story, and there are QR codes scattered throughout that you can scan on your phone to hear the actual songs being referenced. Instead of just reading about a dance or a performance, you can put the music on and experience it alongside the characters. It makes parts of the book feel almost interactive, like stepping through the curtain and into the circus ring yourself.
Some moments are joyful and liberating, others uncomfortable and confrontational. The ending in particular is messy, dramatic and unresolved, but that feels intentional. Rather than tying everything up neatly, the book leaves you suspended in mid-air, like an acrobat between swings, knowing the next act is still to come.
It’s chaotic, provocative and completely unlike a conventional historical novel. I didn’t always know where it was going, but I was never bored, and long after finishing I still feel as if the music is playing somewhere in the background and the circus lights haven’t quite gone out.
Father, storyteller, and dog lover living in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with London curled at his feet. Cliff Lovette is an entertainment lawyer who learned about the real Circus Bim Bom in 1991 when the circus's American road manager became a client at his Atlanta law firm. Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure is the first book in his debut duology.
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