Another one from the spymaster

I finished reading John Le Carre’s The Tailor of Panama yesterday. And came away strangely disturbed. Like his earlier books (most notably The Little Drummer Girl, The Perfect Spy and Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy), the story has little to do with spying or glamour, and everything to do with human weaknesses, emotions and thoughts.

The Tailor of Panama is as haunting as they come – an all too real, happy family man, the tailor in question sets off in motion a catastrophic chain of events which devastate him and all those he loves.

In Le Carre’s books, as in real life, there is no good or bad. There are only people – unique, real and with their own strengths and demons – who survive or are swept up by life. So the scheming, lying cheat often gets away to his next victim, while the noble-purposed heroes are left behind salvaging remains of their tragedies.

I have often wondered why I find Le Carre so enchanting. I think the reason is that his heroes are so fallible – one would easily identify with them. So George Smiley – master spy par excellence, is frail, human and has an unhappy marriage. Or Harry Pendel (the eponymous tailor of Panama), a weak and kind liar. The villains, on the other hand – the Israeli agent in the Little Drummer Girl, or the dashing someone (forgotten the name!) of Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy, or even Osnard of the Tailor, are winners in life. Even though the reader wants them to get their comeuppance, it never comes. They just move on to their next scheme. And the strong, solid types (always a few in the background) just go on with their lives, seeing and understanding everything, yet unable to do anything.

All in all, every new Le Carre book reveals more to me about myself. That’s something I can’t say about other authors!!