Initial thoughts on the new novel by John Le Carré….

As the expected fervour behind a new release by John Le Carré builds I find myself asking the question which few dare to ask: Will it actually be any good?

It is quite apparent that besides the authors name, the main thrust of the advertising is the books diatribe against Brexit. Fine by me, an author can write whatever they want and impose their political views on their readers at their own risk, I don’t care. What I care about is the quality of the writing, nothing else matters.

Having read the excerpt from Agent Running in the Field as published, unsurprisingly, in The Guardian newspaper, and the short rant against the political establishment in the manner we have come to expect from the latter day Le Carré, I find myself hoping beyond words, that the rest is better. As a dyed in the wool Le Carré fan of decades past I read the dialogue and wondered just how much credit will be lavished upon him for who he is and his views on Brexit and what chance is there of an honest appraisal of his work?

Writing a novel based on his political and world views is nothing new with Le Carré but the quality of writing has diminished with time and age. If that excerpt in The Guardian was not credited to him I wonder how many would buy it on the strength of it, which is what most of us do when buying a new release. I doubt I would and more’s the pity.