This espionage thriller helped reshape the genre and is widely considered one of the best spy novels ever written. John Le Carre’s true identity (his real name was David Cornwell) was revealed shortly after the release of the novel, along with the fact that he had spent time in MI5 and MI6 in the 1950s and 60s. The public and press alike assumed, based on how authentic the novel read, that Cornwell/Le Carre clearly had direct knowledge and experience in the world of Cold War espionage and counter-espionage. The author maintained that his work for the intelligence service was rather dull, that it did not involve any of the aspects in the novel, and that the novel was a work of pure fiction. His note at the end of this edition, written 50 years after publication, is an interesting read, as is William Boyd’s introduction (this contains spoilers though) that helped clear up a couple of questions I was left with at the end.
The novel tells the story of a fifty-something world-weary and cynical spy Alec Leamas who is recruited by his superiors in the British Secret Service for one last mission against the GDR (Communist East Germany) before he can "come in from the cold" (retire and stop the spy games). This is at the height of the Cold War, and agencies on both sides of the Iron Curtain employ morally questionable tactics in pursuit of their own idealistic positions. Leamas, who has spent years heading operations on the Western side of the Wall, is keen to undertake what he thinks is a clever undercover mission of revenge, against a top ranking and ruthless spy on the other side. But as the plot develops, he is less and less sure about the true motivations of his own agency, and about whom he can and cannot trust.
Le Carre writes about technical aspects of the world of espionage without over explaining things, he trusts you to figure it out. He also does not portray this world as one filled with excitement or glamour but paints a darker, more realistic, picture - a world where individuals and organisations constantly make morally ambiguous decisions, and it is simply an accepted fact that innocent people will get hurt in service of the so called 'larger cause’.
Engrossing read, the spy master at his best.