This is an amazing book! At the level of plot, Serena's experiences make for a gripping read, as the political and the personal intertwine to shape her life. At times she seems to be no more than a pawn in a game between two or more competing forces. The characters are credible and well-drawn, from 'The Bishop' to the perfidious Max. As the story evolves the reader is given clues (mainly through the words of Tom as he tries to provide Serena with the rudiments of the writer's craft) about the various devices and strategies that a novelist can use, begging the question as to whether Serena is the only pawn or whether an author as knowing as Ian McEwan is manipulating the reader. That question remains unanswered until the end of the novel.

If you read 'Sweet Tooth' looking only for a spy story you may be disappointed; but it is so much more than a spy story. Its main strength is the opportunity that it affords to see a very clever author at work, in a way that makes the reader question the relationship between life and fiction and whether we can ever hope to know the complete truth about anything.