Single & Single

John le Carre has produced another masterful novel. The basic theme is individual decency, loyalty and helplessness. Unlike his Cold War novels, the backdrop is capitalist Russia and international finance, instead of espionage. This is the story of Oliver Single, apprentice at his father Tiger's financial empire, messenger between Single & Single and a Georgian/Russian family, the Orlovs. He falls in love with the Orlov family and their daughter Goya, but betrays both his father and the Orlovs by walking to the government to tell all. Sent into hiding by the government, he comes out again four years later, in search of his father Tiger Single, who has disappeared after Single & Single's top lawyer is executed on a Turkish hilltop. Tortured by his betrayal and by his conscience, Oliver is the heart of the novel. This is also the story of Alix Hoban, a Westernized Russian crook. Married to Goya Orlov but faithful only to himself, Alix makes ambitious plans for selling his peoples' blood to the West, but failing that, runs a drug trafficking business on a massive scale, from Istanbul and Vienna. He tries to take over both the Orlov and the Single empires, but his ruthlessness does not pay off in the end. This is also the story of Brock, fighting corruption in British law enforcement and running undercover operations for evidence against Single & Single. (This part I found untenable. Aren't ruthless bloodthirsty financialists the engine of Anglo-American growth and imperialism? Why should the British government run operations against its finest wealth-creators? But, okay, fiction is fiction.) And this novel is a story of ruthlessness, and a vision of how the rich & powerful actually run this world of ours. But despite the dark backdrop, "Single & Single" is lighter and more hopeful than many of Mr. le Carre's earlier novels. There is the portrayal of Goya, crying for all the victims of white powder (heroin?) traded by her family. And Aggie, a girl working for Brock, with morals far higher than you would imagine from your knowledge of the English. And of course there's Oliver, and the little Oliver-Aggie love story. In its hope and humanity, and with its little love stories, "Single & Single" is a bit like le Carre's "Russia House." A reviewer of "Russia House" said: "Fans of the George Smiley books may find themselves disappointed, but I think fans of Le Carre as the storyteller and writer will be very satisfied." I can say the same of "Single & Single." As in other le Carre books, you have to get well into the book before you piece together what the story is about. I guess this is not news to le Carre fans, and I hope new readers are not put off by it. As in the author's other novels, you get a sense of the research that went into the book, and the meticulous connection with reality. Like in le Carre's "Our Game", you get a human picture of peripheral pieces of the Russian empire. How does le Carre know peop

LeCarre deals more in nuance, innuendo, facial expressions, glimpses of telltale movements, and dawning realizations than he does in other kinds of action. Just like a spy, one might say. This book is loaded with all of that, even with a bit more action than I'm used to seeing in his books. This is not as bleak as some of LeCarre's writing. There is some fun and joy to it. There's a buffoonish magician who plays a surprisingly magical role (theatrical, not occult). There is also a wealth of the father-figures who haunt so many LeCarre stories. There is the kind of weighty ambivalence toward families, loyalties and ideals that many fans have come to know and love. LeCarre's medium of exchange seems to be human spirit, motivation, interaction, doubt, ambivalence, regret. Sometimes we are left to see it only from a distance, just as in real life. At other times, when the story justifies it, those emotions will crawl right into your shirt and chew on you. The writing has a bit of British idiom which seems only to add charm (for an American). None of it interferes with the story. Otherwise the dialogue and setting are simply wonderful, as engaging as any novel I know, and more detailed than most. It may take just a bit of effort or concentration to follow and appreciate the characters. This is not grade-school writing. Nevertheless any such effort will be very richly rewarded.

Le Carre is back on his game. This book has the feeling of the old Smiley novels. I highly recommend it to anyone who liked Smiley and thought Le Carre was losing his touch. Le Carre is still a great writer and master of this genre.

Besides being a good read with richly developed complex characters, this book has one aspect on which I'd like to commend Le Carre: his treatment of women. Yes, the female characters are a little flat, but compared to other, equally mature best selling authors--Tom Clancy comes to mind in particular--LC's women don't seem to me to fit superwoman stereotypes so readily. I had to congratulate the author here, especially given that he's from a generation of men who find modern women just puzzling. Aggie's nurturing side doesn't detract from her strengths; LC juxtaposes it with Oliver's equally nurturing tendencies in a scene in a Georgian house. Giving two women critical plot-altering victories while the men lie helpless? Unheard of in LC's generation. Good courage on his part.

Despite other readers' comments to the contrary, this newest LeCarre novel was a big hit with me. His best effort since A Perfect Spy (wherein we also examine the complexities of the father-son relationship), LeCarre weaves a magical story with twists and turns that leave the reader breathless. This is not a fast read--the character development and international intrigue are rich with detail and need savoring. LeCarre loves to jump back and forth in time; this device can be confusing at times. Nonetheless, if you loved A Perfect Spy you will enjoy this one too.