Before heading off to a friends house by the beach for a few days, I bought “The Mission Song” by John LeCarre for some summer reading. I was quickly hooked. The plot revolves around interpreter Bruno Salvador and his entanglement in a plot to mount a coup in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Like a lot of LeCarre’s novels, the central character is not an outright hero. In this case, Salvos ethos that a top interpreter does not pass judgement on the words he is translating brings him into the center of a insidious plan to make war in the country where he was born.
There is plenty of pace, suspense, and even a blooming romance – just what I was looking for in a great holiday read. But it’s not too light either, touching on plenty of current, global issues and problems.
I liked it, and I think I’ll be buying or borrowing more of his books.
My Rating: 4 Stars
