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Title: The Constant Gardener
Author: John le Carre
Genre: Thriller
Thingummies: 3.5
Synopsis: After his wife is brutally murdered, a mild mannered career diplomat drops out to hunt down the conspiracy that killed her.
Thoughts: Did you think there's a possibility that one lone man could take down a multinational pharmaceutical corporation with government backing?
You're wrong.
Sorry for the spoilers, but it's probably better to not have too much hope going into this one. Master of cynicism le Carre is completely blunt and realistic about how money and power trump good intentions, especially in Africa. This is a brutal read about the horrible things done by Western corporations.
It's still engrossing, even as you realize that there's no way this could end happily. And I kind of have to respect the author for not doing a David and Goliath routine--his protagonist does in fact uncover the conspiracy, but he has no soapbox that will allow him to do anything about it. And there's no particular illusion about this. The entire mission is less a hopeful effort and more a doomed act of atonement.
Compelling, but depressing as hell.
Author: John le Carre
Genre: Thriller
Thingummies: 3.5
Synopsis: After his wife is brutally murdered, a mild mannered career diplomat drops out to hunt down the conspiracy that killed her.
Thoughts: Did you think there's a possibility that one lone man could take down a multinational pharmaceutical corporation with government backing?
You're wrong.
Sorry for the spoilers, but it's probably better to not have too much hope going into this one. Master of cynicism le Carre is completely blunt and realistic about how money and power trump good intentions, especially in Africa. This is a brutal read about the horrible things done by Western corporations.
It's still engrossing, even as you realize that there's no way this could end happily. And I kind of have to respect the author for not doing a David and Goliath routine--his protagonist does in fact uncover the conspiracy, but he has no soapbox that will allow him to do anything about it. And there's no particular illusion about this. The entire mission is less a hopeful effort and more a doomed act of atonement.
Compelling, but depressing as hell.
