I was excited when I realised that I had purchased this book (I bought it as 1 of about 20 so I wasn't thinking much when I flung it into by shopping bag). I was excited for 2 reasons. Firstly, it has my name in the title and secondly, because it was written by Ken Follett. I have heard many good things about The Pillars of the Earth, so I thought what a good way to be introduced to his work.
It was a good book, albeit not really my thing. The book is described as espionage fiction, that is, the story is about a battle between two men in Egypt in WWII. One of the men, Alex Woolff, is a German assassin sent into Egypt to steal secrets, and the other, Vandam, is a member of the English army whose job it is to protect their secrets. Vandam gets closer and closer to catching Woolf as the book progresses and Woolff makes more and more errors. I won't spoil the ending, but don't expect any surprises.
The title may seem weird but it does make sense. Woolff uses the book Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier to send coded messages to the Germans. Vandam is after the key that will decode the messages that he is sending.
It was a good book, there is no doubt about that. I think to be honest; these thriller/war books just really aren't my thing. It is a book to read when you don't want to use much brain power if you think. Some of it was plausible and some was not. Woolff was able to disappear into Egyptian society because he grew up in Egypt and knows a lot of the petty criminals in the city. The story wasn't so implausible that I couldn't read it, but it was a bit farfetched.
Woolff was such an odd character. Sometimes he seemed almost normal, other times very sinister and towards the end very crazy. This inconsistency bothered me a bit. Vandam on the other hand was a very solid and 'English' character, and the love story that develops between him and courtesan Elene was strange but not entirely unbelievable.
One of the things that I found most interesting about this book, was that it explored different characters motivations for their involvements in the war. Woolff had German parentage and therefore wanted to assist the Germs remove the English from Egypt. Vandam was English. Others, however, had more complicated reasoning which I thought was really interesting. It also in a way took the piss out the English's occupation of Egypt. The Egyptians didn't like the English, and were celebrating when the Germans got close, thinking they were going to be liberated. It is these complicated cultural issues that were considered in the book that held the most interest for me.
Summary
What kind of read is this?
In some ways it is your usual thriller book, but it is different because I think the writing is better quality.
Do I recommend this book?
Yes, but for those times when you want a book that doesn't challenge you.
Do I recommend that you buy this book?
Definitely not. Just borrow it.
Star Rating
5 / 8
Good and worth reading if you have the opportunity, but I wouldn't prioritise it.
Originally posted 15 April 2010 Page Turners
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