Wow. Just, wow.

A Perfect Spy is yet another of John le Carré’s spy novels; and yet, it’s almost completely unlike Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or the other George Smiley novels. This, far from being the tale of a particular intelligence operation, is a portrait of a man, Magnus Pym. Pym is a spy; and, as it develops, a double-agent. He’s also the son of a con-man, the charismatic, ever-optimistic, frequently broke and frequently opulent Rick Pym. And as it happens, these two things are directly related. Magnus grew up in a chaotic, criminal world, in world in which, heart-breakingly, the word “mother” is almost a generic word for “woman”. He wanted, more than anything else, to be loved, to be approved of, and like his father he soon became a skilled and constant liar. Pym is all things to all men, he is what they need him to be.

We see the whole of Pym’s career as he himself reviews it, from his earliest days to his last, as, finally and at last, gone-to-ground, he tells the truth. And we see also the reactions of his co-workers and friends as they search for him, as the whole house-of-cards comes down. The result is simply fascinating.

This is a long one, at over 600 pages; and it’s the best thing I’ve read in quite awhile. Highly recommended.