A Small Town in Germany, by John le Carré

A Small Town in Germany by John le Carré
Pan Books, ISBN 0 330 02306 3
Price paid: 1,00$

John le Carré is known for his realistic spy novels, a great departure at the time from the James Bond stereotype. While he had more success with novels featuring his main protagonist, George Smiley, A Small Town in Germany still has the same quality to it; a sort of gritty reality where no one is entirely good or bad; just people with conflicting goals.

The story is set in Bonn, a German town struck with the possible resurgence of Neo-Nazism, caused by decades of British dominance post-war. This is seen from the point of view of a few British diplomats, working in Bonn. One of their own, a man they have pushed into insignificance, flees with an important document; one that would push the balance in the imminent political change of the country. Someone is sent after him but the clues are hard to get; especially so when the British does everything in their power to hush it up, lest they make the Germans nervous.

A Small Town in Germany is hard to get into. The first fifty pages place the various characters in the situation, in a very British way. I would not go so far as state that the beginning is boring but it is surely tedious. However, as soon as the protagonist shows up, the interest quickly rises. Each subsequent chapter, until the last few, has to do with one particular witness or co-employee of the culprit and it is written in a very clever way.

The ending is surprising; while a tad disappointing, it is wholly understandable. The novel basically asks you one question: do you see the world as promising or as a sinking ship? We get one of the main characters' answer in the last few pages.

Is it worth a dollar?

Well, it really depends on the type of reader. The story is very real; though it is fiction, it could very well not be. For that reason, some might find it boring; there are no monsters, nothing lurking creepily in the dark. No sex, no drugs; nothing more than men having clever discussions, questions and philosophies.

It is set in post-war Germany, with ties to Russian, French and British organizations, so fans of spy stories might enjoy reading it. I took from it an important message. You may not and that's the beauty of it. I think it is well worth the dollar, if you can get past the beginning.