I recently re-read Le Carre’s The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. I read this cold-war spy novel several years ago but I had thought it was a different novel. As I re-read it this time I kept thinking, this has a remarkably similar plot to a novel by Len Deighton. I spent many hours searching for information on how two novelists could write such similar novels. In the end it turned out that my memory was faulty and I had just read Le Carre’s book twice.
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is the tale of a aging spymaster, set during the cold-war, whose luck has turned bad and seeks revenge against his nemisis. The protagonist is Alec Leamas, head of Britain’s Berlin desk. He runs a ring of spies who operate out of East Berlin. But Alec has a problem: as the story begins, the last of his spies is killed off. Alec’s nemisis is a Russian/East German named Mundt who has uncovered and killed each of Alec’s assets one-by-one. Alec’s bosses give him the opportunity to get revenge by becoming a double-agent. What unfolds is an interesting plot where the reader is never quite sure who is on who’s side.
The first time I read The Spy I believed I was reading a Deighton novel, and I remember at the time thinking about how rough it was compared to his others. It lacked the details that build a rich world in which the reader can get lost. After a second reading this is true, but of course I now see that it isn’t a rough Deighton novel, it is just a different author. The Spy is a novel that is essentially narration. The characters, even the protagonist and villians, are flat. For example, to convey that the protagonist is strong, Le Carre simply states that he is strong, that he has a strong neck and body. At times it reads more like a screenplay than a novel.
The saving grace is plot. It is intriguing and worthy of this book’s reputation.
The Spy is considered by many to be Le Carre’s best novel, while I have not read his other novels, I would guess that reputation is based on two strengths. First, the plot is a great example of the type of intrigue esponiage fans expect. As a reader you are never sure who is on what side, and you develop a healthy sense of paranoia which is both rewarded and invalidated at times. Second, the novel conveys that “cold-war espionage” feeling common to dramatic works from this genre set in post-world-war-II Europe. There is a certain feeling that the reader gets about the people and politics in Europe due to the tensions surrounding the division of Germany. Overall I liked the novel but it doesn’t rank as high as similar works by Len Deighton. I’d be compelled to see the movie version.
Note: Both the novel and movie are available from the Edmonton Public Library.