SlowRain reviewed England Made Me by Graham Greene
Review of 'England Made Me' on Goodreads
3 stars
Anthony, a habitual down-on-his-luck wanderer, is persuaded by his twin sister to move to Sweden and accept a job working for her wealthy employer, which he accepts. However, questionable as his character is, there are some things that even Anthony just won't be a part of.
While this was an earlier novel by Graham Greene, he had already found his voice by the time it was written. The narrative is smooth and thoughtful, and the characters are well-developed for the most part. It's not a thriller in the sense of some of his other works, but there is a fair bit of wondering going on by the reader.
The highlight of the novel is the relationship between the twin siblings. Even though they came from the same background, their lives and opinions have diverged greatly. And, while one appears respectable and the other one not so, the novel forces the …
Anthony, a habitual down-on-his-luck wanderer, is persuaded by his twin sister to move to Sweden and accept a job working for her wealthy employer, which he accepts. However, questionable as his character is, there are some things that even Anthony just won't be a part of.
While this was an earlier novel by Graham Greene, he had already found his voice by the time it was written. The narrative is smooth and thoughtful, and the characters are well-developed for the most part. It's not a thriller in the sense of some of his other works, but there is a fair bit of wondering going on by the reader.
The highlight of the novel is the relationship between the twin siblings. Even though they came from the same background, their lives and opinions have diverged greatly. And, while one appears respectable and the other one not so, the novel forces the reader to look more closely. There are parallels between the two, yet there are contrasts as well, and the situation they face is very relevant for our day.
The plot revolves around some financial dealings of the wealthy employer, who just also happens to be the sister's lover. The framework of the story is a little unusual as there seems to be no noticeable initial incident to launch the story. The conflict is mainly between the past and personalities of the twins, yet it's only at the end when the dilemma presents itself. It's an interesting setup, and it works, yet I think many readers may be put off by the seemingly slow beginning. Be patient and stick with it.
The only drawbacks to me were the underdeveloped character of Krogh, the wealthy businessman, and one or two small sections of what I can only term as quasi-stream-of-consciousness writing. Neither inhibit the novel, but they do take away from the overall quality of it.
I recommend this book, especially to fans of John le Carré's more recent activist novels. Even though I may not completely agree with Greene's conclusions, I am still impressed with his ability to write a complete story in ~200 pages.
[Aug. 30, 2015]
Here's a very good write-up in The Guardian about this novel:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/29/greeneland-sweden-when-graham-greene-let-himself-go
