Magnus Pym, a British intelligence agent, has disappeared after his father's funeral. His agency, tries to cover up the fact that he is missing, while searching for him. He has hidden in a small English seaside town, where he begins writing a long narrative about his life for his son. He tells him about his relationship with his own con man father, how he became a spy and then a double agent. Le Carre alternates between the search for Pym and the narrative of his life. He also paints a picture of both the British and American intelligence agencies as distrustful of one another and very often bogged down in red tape. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of story - Dry-cynical Time/era of story: Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 60's-90's Profession/status: The antagonists are: - government bureaucracy How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK - Eastern Europe Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |