It is not axiomatic, that the ideal Vorleser of a work
should be its author. (One
would not wish to sit through a performance of Heart of Darkness, or A
Brief History of Time, under those terms.) But David Cornwall turns out to be a perfect
interpreter of John Le Carré, in a recent audiobook recording.
Three of the secondary characters have a distinct local
accent: Glaswegian, Welsh, and
Irish. His rendition of these fixes in pleasure and memory, what are
in any event well-sculpted personalities. The Welshman, who shows up one day in a remote village, rickety caravan in tow, and with a mysterious past (and demons lying inside), is a reprise of the Jim Prideaux character, who so memorably opens Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Two of the central characters -- professional diplomats --
have professionally and personally
rather flat affect. (Again, cf. TTSS's Smiley.)The
author is sufficiently confident about his own work, to let that happen,
without worrying that we’ll be bored.
The story-arc hangs together nicely, moreso than in most of
the thrillers we have waded through.
The novel (published 2013) is quite in tune with the times, in selecting, as theme, the beating-up on contractors in the defense/intel field.
The novel (published 2013) is quite in tune with the times, in selecting, as theme, the beating-up on contractors in the defense/intel field.
Footnote: The
title of the book is as smarmy as that of An Inconvenient Truth. But it is a sight better title than Our Kind of
Traitor , which we critiqued here. One wishes to believe that neither stemmed from the
author, but were foisted upon the novels by some publisher's underling (chained drooling in the basement, and let loose only for such functions)
who normally has the last word in such marketing-related decisions.
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