Agent Running in the Field by John le Carre: A review

As John le Carré nears his 90th birthday (he was born in 1931), it is good to note that he really has not lost a step when it comes to constructing a convoluted brain-teaser of a spy thriller. His skills are on full display in his latest book, Agent Running in the Field.

Even the title of the book is open to interpretation. Does it refer to a "spy handler" who manages agents in the field? Or does it refer to an agent who is running to escape? In the end, it could be both or either.

This is le Carré's first book set in the Trump/Boris Johnson/Brexit era and one of the characters, Ed, expounds what I would guess is the author's jaundiced view of that entire debacle. But I am getting ahead of myself.

The story begins with a spy handler named Nat being pulled from that job and brought back to London. Nat is a twenty-five-year veteran of MI6 and he loved his job in the field. He is not happy about being pulled from it and suspects that he is about to be given his walking papers. Instead, he is offered the management of the Haven, a London-based intelligence substation that seems to be in disarray. Nat is not entirely clear as to whether he is supposed to fix the substation's problems or help to close it down. But he accepts the position and goes to work.

Soon after, one of his aides abruptly quits due to the cancellation of a project she had been working on. About the same time, Nat meets a young researcher named Ed at his club. Ed seems possessed of a fiery personality and is not hesitant about sharing his views on current events. But he is also a top badminton player and Nat is the badminton champion at his club. Ed seeks a match with him and Nat agrees. There ensue regular matches between the two almost every week. At first, Nat wins but then gradually Ed overtakes him and begins winning. After each match, they retire to the bar for a drink and there Ed expounds his views and Nat, the non-political civil servant, mostly listens. Ed sums up his views thusly:

"It is my considered opinion that for Britain and Europe, and for liberal democracy across the entire world as a whole, Britain’s departure from the European Union in the time of Donald Trump, and Britain’s consequent unqualified dependence on the United States in an era when the US is heading straight down the road to institutional racism and neo-fascism, is an unmitigated clusterfuck bar none."

No one can accuse Ed of ambiguity.

In fact, Ed's strong views lead him to try to do something to (as he sees it) save his country and that ultimately brings him to Nat's professional attention. By this time, the two have developed a friendship and Nat is somewhat torn as to how to handle his knowledge of Ed's activities. And thereby hangs this tale as we see how Nat resolves his dilemma.

Nat and Ed are interesting characters and we are fully engaged in how their interactions play out and are resolved. The other secondary characters in the book are less well-developed and more difficult to get a handle on. Nat's long-suffering wife, Prue, for example, never quite came through clearly for me.

But the writing otherwise rises to the standard of excellence that long experience in reading le Carré would lead one to expect and the plotting is just impeccable. The writer sprinkles clues throughout to show us where he is headed and I sort of had it figured out by near the end, but there's always that final twist that just makes you tip your hat to the master. Although this may not be his best effort - that would be a high bar to excel - it's pretty darned good. A fun read.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...

The Nature of Things

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