Our Kind Of Traitor by John Le Carré
Few could argue that John Le Carré is a highly accomplished author; he has his own unique style, one that is often powerful, engaging and occasionally ponderous. “Our kind of Traitor” is another fine example of Le Carré’s writing and will most certainly leave you satisfied if not exhausted!
As I settled down to reading his latest offering, I cleared my schedule, turned off the mobile and made sure there were no distractions – I even switched off my twitter feed just in case some random comment caught my attention and delayed my Le Carré journey. Temptation would not get the better of me!
One thing you do not do with Le Carré is rush. Due to its complex nature, concentration is imperative. You gorge on the narrative, word by word, sentence by sentence, page by page; “Our Kind Of Traitor” is no different. Set aside a few days and you won’t regret it.
The story evolves slowly, much like a bottle of vintage wine. The prose is there to be admired and savoured. I found myself having to re-read certain sections, such was its complexity but I stuck at it and worked my way through the early pedestrian stages. For me, the pace intensified once the story arrived at the French Open final between Federer and Soderling – I never looked back.
The story begins in Antigua. We are introduced to a pair of “innocents” Gail and Perry, an ordinary couple on holiday in a luxury Caribbean resort famed for its tennis. Perry is an amateur tennis player whose claim to fame is his membership to Queens Club in London, Gail his partner is a young barrister and shares his passion for the sport.
Little did they know at the time but when the pair are introduced to Dima, a Russian money laundering supremo, his bodyguards and extended family, their lives would never be the same again. Dima challenges Perry to a game of tennis and the pair forge an unlikely friendship in the heat of battle. Dima, desperate to defect to England, mistakenly believes “Fair Play” Perry is a British agent and the Russian wastes no time in confiding in the Oxford academic or “professor” as Dima calls him.
We return to London and discover an impressive passage explaining the way money laundering works:
“You buy a bit of prime land, usually on the sea … You pay cash for it, you build a five-star luxury-hotel resort. Maybe several. For cash. And throw in 50 or so holiday bungalows if you’ve got the space. You bring in the best furniture, cutlery, china, linen. From then on your hotels are full up. Except that nobody ever stays in them. If a travel agent calls: sorry, we’re fully booked. Every month a security van rolls up at the bank and unloads all the cash that’s been taken in room rentals, bungalow rentals … After a couple of years, your resorts are in perfect shape to be sold with a brilliant trading record.”
John Le Carré has an impressive knack of making his thrillers current and this, his 22nd novel, is no different. We eavesdrop on the inner sanctum of British spooks as they interrogate and deliberate their way to what they hope is a profitable and successful conclusion.
“Our Kind Of Traitor” is an impressive novel, highly complex and unpredictable. John Le Carré remains at the forefront of his genre, crafting yet another bestseller.
Published by Penguin, “Our Kind of Traitor” is available from Amazon & Waterstones
I have read many of John Le Carre’s books, and I would rate the first 99.9% of this book sensational and John back to his best. The ending is a terrible disappointment after such a build up. The subject matter would be of concern to all who have some exposure to money laundering, and the infected business network supporting the money launderers must exist as described.
The combination of spies, real people like Perry and Gail, the emotional pull of Dima’s family situation and their well being, and finally the reality and credibility of the main plot needs John to reconsider his ending. Maybe he can write a sequel to keep me happy, and restore some faith in our decision makers!!!