Wednesday 1 May 2013

A Most Wanted Man by John Le Carre

 

 

 

"Annabel Richter born Freiburg in Breisgau, 1977, which made her about as young as she could be for a German lawyer, if that was what she was."

 
Renowned for his cold war spy novels, this present day thriller places the author's characters in a post 9-11 world where the shadowy men and women muddy the waters between ideology and intrigue. Issa, a young illegal immigrant to Germany has a murky backstory and access to a considerable sum of ill gotten gains in the form of his father's legacy.
 
I particularly love the imperfect nature of all the characters. The manner in which they relinquish their mores in an effort to survive a charged political atmosphere. A climate of fear is all pervasive, and this is personified by Melik and his family. Innocent good will is the first casualty in this spy game.

Having been a fan of Le Carre's work, I was motivated to complete this particular novel before its cinematic outing this year. I prefer to read the book first. It will be especially interesting to see Rachel McAdams in the role of Annabel, given that she seems quite all American which is contra to the character.

This was quite a brief novel in comparison with some of Le Carre's earlier works and yet it lacks none of their punch. Impending doom is all around and the pages turn at a progressively quickening pace to reach the much anticipated conclusion.  5 out of 5 thrilling page-turner.


No comments:

Post a Comment