If your agenda is to justify the Iraq war, dont read this book. You will be tempted to write a hateful review. If you are too young to remember 1968 and are not interested, dont read this book; you will find the story too fanciful. For the rest of us, Ted and Sasha are real figures; there are millions of them. Like us, they lived on through the sobering reality, and felt betrayed by current events. The bitter ending is a powerful (perhaps unfitting) epitaph for the generation, delivered by the writer who possibly shares the pathos of 1968. Or perhaps, Le Carres literary geneius knows too well how to connect. As such, "Absolute Friends" may not survive the test of time, but what does? The book surpasses "Secret Pilgrim" in its bitterness, and is far more compelling than his recent books including "Taylor of Panama" or "Constant Gardener."
This stunning book by John le Carre is probably his best work. Id imagine the reason some people are a bit turned off by it is that le Carre doesnt pull any punches. His characters are real, the settings are real, and he give us, the reader, enough credit to allow us to make some jugdements for ourselves. Not everything is neatly wrapped up. There are no sermons. Its all there, brilliantly written, and with no rose colored glasses to block the glare. Also recommended: Catch 22, Life of Pi, Bark of the Dogwood
Le Carre has lost his way in a book that is more a political statement than an espionage novel.His sympathetically idealistic character Sasha, described on the books jacket as "seeker after absolutes" labels Israels creation a "monstrous human crime" but doesnt want to be called anti-semitic.. He lambasts the Colation of the Willings bombing of innocent Iraqis buts says nothing of Sadams torcher and executions of hundreds of thousands of his own people. The author is clearly trying to make a statement but in so doing destroys what could have been one of his better books. The nuance and artfullnes of his previous books is replaced with the authors own obvious disdain for America, Israel and the war. The reader should be cautioned. If you cherished the Smiley trilogy, The Perfect Spy, The Little Drummer Girl and his other works as I did, do yourself a favor and dont read this book. You may become as disillusioned with the author is as the author is with us.
