Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana wasn't considered by its author as one of his serious novels, instead being "an entertainment". A lighthearted comedy set during the Cold War during the last gasps Fulgencio Batista's regime (Castro disliked the novel because it trivializes the cruelties of Batista), it's the story of a vacuum cleaner salesman who's recruited into Britain's secret service.A satire of colonialism, the Cold War, spy agencies, and bureaucracy,Our Man in Havana is easy reading, the plot breezily moving forward through the third person limited viewpoint of Wormold, the titular man. Recruited in a men's bathroom by a mysterious and laconic secret agent, Wormold reluctantly goes along, caring only for the money, and protecting his beautiful daughter from the notorious policeman who's attempting to court her.
It's a fun story that careens towards the inevitable conclusion, even if the ending feels a little tacked on.
No comments:
Post a Comment