Just Finished Reading: The Quiet American by Graham Greene (FP: 1955) [180pp] 

Vietnam. English journalist Thomas Fowler prides himself on being uninvolved. He is there for two reasons, to report the ongoing struggle for dominance between French forces and the numerous forces ranged against them as well as staying as far away from home and his wife as possible. It's not much of an existence but a few opium pipes each evening, and the company of the ever-attentive Phuong (meaning Phoenix) helps to give his life a semblance of meaning. Until Pyle arrived, fresh and naïve from America. He was, everyone admitted, an unusual example. He listened more than he spoke, he sought out those with more local knowledge and he was, more than anything else the opposite of his colleagues – he was a quiet American. Of course, it was obvious from the start that he was more, much more, than someone looking for business opportunities or providing aid to locals in need of medical attention. It was obvious to everyone that Pyle was some sort of spy. It was also obvious that Pyle was completed enamoured by Phuong, much to the amusement and annoyance of Fowler. But there was the future to be considered. Fowler was being recalled to London and Phuong needed someone to look after her. Who better than Pyle? As the fighting intensified and bombs started going off in crowded streets, Pyles involvement started to come into focus. Maybe, at last, at long last, it was time for Fowler to finally become involved... 

This is my second Greene novel, and I can see why he has such a high reputation. I enjoyed Our Man in Havana because of its subtle Cold War comedy, but this Cold War outing was a completely different fish. Based in French Indochina during the final years of French Occupation this was a much darker novel with few comedic moments. Indeed, it had a quite lovely Noir feel to it and I could almost imagine Bogart as the grizzled journalist Fowler. I also loved the cynical hard-bitten world view of Fowler, which was in stark contrast to the wide-eyed, optimistic and incredibly naïve views of Pyle – someone straight from State-side with no life experience and a head full of political views picked up from a book. But I think the biggest selling point for this sleeper of a novel – published remember in 1955 – was how prescient it was. Not only does it present an impressively accurate account of why the French were losing and would eventually lose their holdings in the country, but it also skewered the naïve approach the Americans were already exhibiting at that early date regarding involvement in the region. Fowler/Greene laid out in great detail exactly what was wrong in the US view of the country and its people and exactly why their plans for Vietnam would ultimately fail – and fail in spectacular fashion. If the US Administration or Army chiefs had read and absorbed the lessons of this novel, then they never would have become involved in the fiasco that defined a generation. 

This was a very impressive, honestly prescient and often subtle novel of lost love, lost hope and to a large degree a desire for redemption and I was very impressed – indeed haunted – by it. I shall be looking out for more Greene to snag in the future. If you’ve ever wondered about the Wests, and particularly the French involvement in the region, but don’t fancy anything too heavy, this is definitely the book for you. Both subtle and profound, and definitely recommended. 

[Labels Added: 1, Labels Total: 61]