*A Perfect Spy, by John Le Carre

I saw this book dramatized on PBS (I want to say it was a Masterpiece Theater production) some years ago and remember being glued to it while it was on. So although this really isn't like the other spy novels I've read this month, I decided to include it because
a) I'd never actually read this one (I went the George Smiley route instead with his books)
and
b) I had a hankering to see the old series again but wanted to read this book before I bought the dvds.

I loved it. Absolutely. It goes on the favorites list for 2008 (which I will post at the end of the year). The title reflects a parallel between the characteristics of the life of Magnus Pym (the main character) and the characteristics of espionage: dissimulation, betrayal, keeping of secrets etc. It was so well done that I finished it yesterday and I'm still thinking about it, even with a stack of books sitting here waiting to be read before the end of the year.

I recently found a review of this book (http://time.com/time/magazine/article...) that notes that A Perfect Spy is a kind of what-if autobiographical account of John LeCarre himself (fictionalized, obviously). Whether this is or is not the case, this is one of the best novels I've read this year.

Magnus Pym, intelligence agent for the British, has gone to London after the news of his father Rick's death. He is supposed to return to Vienna, where he and his wife Mary are currently stationed, but instead he sends his luggage on home without him. When the suitcase arrives, without Magnus, British intelligence is left to wonder whether or not Magnus has defected, taking with him information which is beyond valuable, and jeopardizing the lives of his "joes," or the agents and intelligence network in place in Czechoslovakia. But Magnus is not behind the iron curtain; rather, he's in Devon, along the coast, in a home where he's known as Mr. Canterbury, and where he's being going for some time. This time, he's there to tell his story, racing against time, waiting for his people to come get him and bring him in. He wants to leave a record of the truth, especially for his son, Tom. What he ends up with is the life of Magnus Pym from his childhood on, reflecting especially on his relationship with his father Rick, the ultimate con man, for whom the con never stops, not even with his only son. It is this life that put into motion the makings of "a perfect spy." But you really have to read it to understand it.

While different from other novels by LeCarre, it is still a book that will totally absorb you from start to finish. The characters are very real, the story is not just one story, but several that interweave throughout the novel, and it is just one of those books that you will find difficult to put down.

I'd recommend this to people who like LeCarre's work, as well as those who like stories that focus on the relationships between fathers and sons. It's a long book, but it will go by so quickly that you'll be sorry it's over. Very very good novel; LeCarre is a brilliant writer.