Rating: 4/5
Review:
Very good, but not his best
John le Carré is still a master storyteller and this is a fine,
gripping read although it doesn’t have the depth and complexity of
some of his greatest books.
Nat, a spy near the
end of his career, gets wind of a major Russian operation to recruit
a British agent...and even that is probably a bit of a spoiler. More
plot details certainly would be, but the heart of this book is
principally about attitudes to Brexit and Trump and their effect on
Britain. It is fair to say that le Carré approves of neither Brexit
nor Trump, so this certainly isn’t a balanced analysis. One
character especially gives some very hard-hitting and extreme
opinions about things which, although relevant to the story, are
pretty strong stuff (to the point of clumsiness in places), so ardent
Trump supporters and Leave supporters may find the book hard to
swallow.
Personally, I found
the story well developed and completely gripping from about half way.
I don’t think the characterisation or real complexity which made
le Carré so brilliant are quite there this time, possibly because he
is so immersed in the issues. There is also a surprisingly
sentimental ending which I found a little hard to believe, but it’s
still a very well constructed story and a very enjoyable read.
Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment