At her home down the street from the Soviet Embassy in Washington, Elliott Holt was fascinated by the news of Samantha Smith’s trip to the Soviet Union 30 years ago this month.

Samantha was a 10-year-old student at Manchester Elementary School when she wrote to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, worried about the prospect of nuclear war — and she was only two years older than Holt. She seemed charming and precocious, but also normal, like someone Holt might be friends with if they ever met.

While Samantha’s story has faded from the memories of most people around her, it lingered in Holt’s mind and provided the germ of the story for her first novel, “You Are One of Them,” published in May.

The book tells the story of two girls, Sarah Zuckerman and Jenny Jones, growing up in Washington during the Cold War. Both of them write letters to Andropov, urging him to seek peace, but only Jenny receives a response.

Like Samantha, Jenny accepts an invitation to visit the Soviet Union, becomes internationally famous and dies in a plane crash in 1985.

Sarah feels left behind, especially after Jenny’s death. Then in 1995, she receives a letter from someone who spent time with Jenny in Russia, suggesting that Jenny is still alive. Sarah travels to Moscow to try to learn the truth.

The book deals with themes of grief, loss, the inherent rivalries in friendships and the human desire to revisit one’s past, Holt said.

“You Are One of Them” has received positive reviews from several publications, including Publishers Weekly and The New York Times.

Samantha is probably remembered more often in Maine. A portrait of her hangs at Manchester Elementary School and a statue stands outside the Maine State Museum, which also has a collection of items related to her trip.

Samantha’s mother, Jane Smith, lives in Boothbay and says she receives occasional letters and requests about her daughter. There was a flurry of them this week, the 30th anniversary of Samantha’s return from the Soviet Union.

“For Russians, they had a chapter in every school child’s English book about Samantha in the fifth form or something,” Smith said. “For a while, every Soviet knew.”

Susan McMillan can be contacted at 621-5645 or at:

smcmillan@mainetoday.com