John Le Carré: Agent Running in the Field (Book Review)

[selenak]

A remarkably trim and slender novel, almost a novella, this one, so when I had finished it after 200-something pages, I thought for a moment, hang on, where’s the rest? Before realising the end does bring everything full circle with the beginning, and really, that’s it

Comments

[kathyh]

it’s rather obvious Le Carré’s own sentiments on the state of current day Britain are similarly inclined

I think he's made that very plain in interviews :)

I didn't realise the book was quite so short, which does explain how it manages to be up to date on our current Prime Minister. Say what you like about Theresa May but I don't think that description quite applies to her. Shame Le Carre didn't manage to predict the suppression of the report into Russian interference in the 2016 Referendum, which may or may not mean very much but would be great material for a spy novel!

[selenak]

Actually, in the book he's still foreign secretary, I just used his current title in my review. But he's mentioned by name along with that description.

Le Carré does speculate in the novel about future plots that sound depressingly plausible, too...