Reviews

Der stille Amerikaner by Graham Greene

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daja57's review against another edition

5.0

It starts with the death of Pyle, the 'quiet' American attached, with 'special' duties, to the American Embassy in Vietnam (the book is set during the first stage of the Vietnamese war of independence, shortly after the end of the Second World War, when the Vietminh were fighting against the returning colonial rulers, the French, who were receiving covert military assistance from the Americans). Pyle is innocent in the sense of ignorant, new to the country, his head filled with theories about freedom and the need to resist communism. The narrator is Fowler, a cynical, war-weary British journalist, who sees his role as that of the objective reporter, who feels it is wrong to get involved in the conflicts of others, but who has become involved with a Vietnamese girl called Phuong. There is a love triangle. And when Fowler sees the consequences of Pyle's innocent involvement, Fowler, from whatever motivation, has to become involved.

The backdrop is the horrors of war.

The story is perfectly constructed. It's not a long novel and one has the feeling that every word counts. The juxtaposition of the morally flawed Fowler against the 'good' Pyle and the truly innocent Phuong is perfect. There's even a French policeman who has all the characteristics of Porfiry Petrovich, the wonderful investigator in Crime and Punishment (or, to some extent, Nikov in my novel The Kids of God). Step by step, Fowler explains how Pyle came to his death, and at the same time we understand the pressures on Fowler that forced him to do the things he did.

And there's also some stunning descriptions.

drron's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

wojevan's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.0

sidharthvardhan's review against another edition

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5.0

"I shut my eyes and she was again the same as she used to be: she was the hiss of steam, the clink of a cup, she was a certain hour of the night and the promise of rest."