Agent Running in the Field
Ratings5
Average rating3.6
“[Le Carré’s] novels are so brilliant because they’re emotionally and psychologically absolutely true, but of course they’re novels.” —New York Times Book Review A thrilling tale for our times from the undisputed master of the spy genre Nat, a 47 year-old veteran of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, believes his years as an agent runner are over. He is back in London with his wife, the long-suffering Prue. But with the growing threat from Moscow Centre, the office has one more job for him. Nat is to take over The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. The only bright light on the team is young Florence, who has her eye on Russia Department and a Ukrainian oligarch with a finger in the Russia pie. Nat is not only a spy, he is a passionate badminton player. His regular Monday evening opponent is half his age: the introspective and solitary Ed. Ed hates Brexit, hates Trump and hates his job at some soulless media agency. And it is Ed, of all unlikely people, who will take Prue, Florence and Nat himself down the path of political anger that will ensnare them all. Agent Running in the Field is a chilling portrait of our time, now heartbreaking, now darkly humorous, told to us with unflagging tension by the greatest chronicler of our age.
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A British spy, Nat aka Nathaniel aka Anatoly, returns home to retire, only to find himself placed in charge of The Haven, a derelict sub-station managing a handful of Britain's double-agents and their handlers. Outside of work, he strikes up an unlikely acquaintance in the form and shape of a young, gangly Englishman, Ed Shannon, who challenges him to a game of badminton.
Over their post-game drinks, Ed - who believes Nat to be a harmless retired attache - lets loose with his verbal volleys against Brexit, Trump, and the British leaders who divorced the nation from Europe. It is the politics of post-Brexit Britain and pro-Russia Trump America that give rise to the events that unfold.
It is Nat who we follow for the entirety of the book. He's smart, polished, and over-confident, and makes for a compelling narrator. His family, wife Prue and daughter Steffi, also play a role, Prue playing a much larger role than the long-suffering spouses of spies in other novels. The only other female character of substance is Florence, Nat's young co-worker, also an idealist like Ed.
I had expected an intelligent but slow tale of espionage, but the events in this book develop with satisfying rapidity. They call into question to the meaning of loyalty, patriotism, and idealism. The different threads come neatly together and if there were parts that raised questions, it's to do with the narrator's inability to deal with emotional pain points as well as the hopeful, but abrupt, ending, which left me wanting for a couple more pages of narrative.
This was a solid read from beginning to end, allowing readers a glimpse into the world of modern espionage. Le Carre's genius in this book is the inter-weaving of big issues with individual actions, and the resultant - dangerous - dominos that fall.
Given the views espoused in this book and from what I have read of le Carre's own political views, I would imagine the author must have been relieved by the results of the recent US elections, even though the consequences of Brexit still remain for his country to sort out.
