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Exposes Our Political Hopes as Naive Shams, 6 Aug 2007
Between elections, most voters are quite skeptical about leading politicians in the democracies. Near to an election, that skepticism turns into a temporary love affair with hope in the form of a politician who strikes us as a good person. In the Mission Song, John le Carré takes dead aim at our near-election naiveté and sinks the throwing spear in deep into our psyches.
The narrator of The Mission Song is a minor character in the world of cloak-and-dagger, Bruno Salvador (Salvo), an interpreter who sometimes does little jobs for the British secret service when obscure East Congo languages are involved. But Salvo is also us, the every person who wants to do her or his duty in the name of goodness and democracy. Salvo comes by his languages naturally, both as a talent and as part of his life growing up in Africa. To some Africans, he's a "zebra," a person who has both white and black parentage. His father was an Irish Catholic missionary, which means that Bruno began life hidden away from his true parentage.
His language skills and the support of the Church enable Salvo to come to England and ply his trade. With spectacular good looks, he attracts a wealthy white bride whose career is zooming among the tabloids of Fleet Street. But he doesn't feel like he fits into the marriage or his wife's world.
Salvo's life takes a tremendous turn when he falls for an East Congolese nurse while interpreting for a dying man in hospital. She shares her body and her faith in moderate leadership for the East Congo.
On his way to his wife's moment of triumph, Salvo doesn't even take time to wash off the scents of his new woman. He's a man filled with passion. A surprise call from his secret employers pulls him into a rush job to translate official as well as bugged conversations to help create a revolt in the East Congo. In the course of this role, his curiosity leads Salvo to learn more than he should . . . and he tries to change the course of history.
The book shines brightest when it develops the characters involved in ways that make them memorable and interesting. Mr. le Carré succeeds quite well with two of his characters, Salvo, and Haj, one of the potential participants in the coup plot. The other characters seem hurried and thin in their portrayals.
The plot is hard to follow. If you don't like dense plots, skip this book.
If you like dense portrayals of psychological manipulation, you'll adore this book. The development of the various relationships and negotiations are quite well done.
The end of the book will delight some and outrage others. It's more of a political statement than the end of a novel. But much of what is said about statecraft today has become politicized, so cloak-and-dagger stories should not be immune.
Many people don't like irony in their novels. It strikes them as off-key story-telling rather than irony. The Mission Song has such a rich vein of irony that you will find yourself marveling at its pervasiveness. If you can accept the irony for what it is, you'll love this book.
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