Spy

Author: Michael Frayn
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: This is a beautifully detailed novel that expresses love. It shows strong empathy for a child who often feels lonely, scared, and helpless, and how easily and eagerly we forget these feelings. It is a novel about memory and imagination that never lacks wit, humor, and originality. Reading it is a joy. The Spy is a cleverly plotted, complex novel. The unexpected events at different levels in the story are like Russian nesting dolls, one inside the other. The Spy was selected as the British literary work for 2002 in the "Best Foreign Novel of the 21st Century" award. The elderly Stephen recalls a special experience from his youth; during World War II, he suspected his companion Keith's mother was a German spy and secretly followed her activities. In the unique atmosphere of that time, two or three children, driven by different personalities, played entirely different roles in the surveillance, ultimately overturning the tranquility of the adult world and bringing tragedy to those around them.