Book Review

The Mission Song; John le Carre

Reviewed by Jeff Jordan

February 27, 2007

With the successful move from Cold War Spy thriller writer to writing of the Post Cold War scene, John le Carre has proved himself a master writer of any genre. Again as in “The Constant Gardener”, le Carre presents us with a beautifully flawed character, who against all odds is thrust in to the position of being the one good man between the world at its worst and something less than we would hope.

The stage is set in the Congo. Salvo, the young Congolese, is the son of a white man and native woman. The father takes the time to raise Salvo as best he can. The mother is long gone and dead before he finds out who she was. With his father’s early passing, it is up to others to pass on the wisdom of life to young Salvo. Life has given Salvo little, but he has made the best of what he’s found. He has one special talent. His upbringing in the Congo has made him expert in the many languages of the white man and the native. When we first pick up his narrative, he is telling his story in order to prepare us for why and how fate picked him to save his homeland and the price he will pay for his caring.

He is married to a young white aristocratic young woman, who is toiling in the trenches in an attempt to become a top notch reporter for a well read, but we’re lead to believe by Salvo, not all that reputable newspaper. Her toil has taken her far from their martial bed and the end of this relationship is foreshadowed by the opening scene where he’s is rushing to a party in her honor. He is late because he lingered to long in the bed of a young Congolese Nurse who he has met in the performance of his job as translator. She does not speak the dialect of the dying man. Salvo had taken the case as one of his community service stints. Normally, he is paid very well for his translating and he is known as one of the best.

Arriving late to the party, Salvo is distracted by the ringing of his cell phone. His other job of public service is working for Her Majesty’ Secret Service listening to purloined conversations in one of the cubbies with his mates trying to ferret out what people will say that may be of interest to the government when they think they aren’t being overheard. Salvo finds out this evening that he is being given a special assignment. The assignment opens his eyes to the reality of the harsh world around him and how his complicity might cost many people their lives and his country it’s future

Steadfastly British, our Salvo’s love and allegiance have been aroused and stimulated by the young nurse, Hannah. For her, he feels he must live up to her expectations, he will betray his adopted country; kiss off his failing marriage and condemn himself to exile before he finishes the trip. In the meantime, he will learn about the practical side of spy craft and who not to trust.

Le Carre, as usual, puts the nasty face on world powers as they blunder their way about the world in disguise of world peace prelates. Instead he shows them as servants of economic interest trying to gobble up every piece of the world that can yield a profit regardless of who they hurt in the process. Le Carre simply can’t write of the world that is the way we wish it was, he opts instead for the way it is, no matter how uncomfortable that may be.