A review by halfass_reviewer
The Quiet American by Graham Greene

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I believe I said this before, but I'll probably say this every time I review a wartime novel, but I don't read war novels. The world is shitty enough as is and I read to escape the shitty reality. With that being said I enjoyed this story immensely. Greene did a great job of showing the naivety of Americans and their thoughts on the war in other countries (when Pyle said that the bomb that blew them people up should've been a parade and that there are always causalities in war, I cussed him out). I think the love triangle between Pyle, Phuong, and Thomas was also really well done. Despite Greene not showing a lot of Phuong's thoughts on either two men, it did a great job of showing how love affects everyone. How it can tear apart a friendship and a relationship. I like that Thomas was both rational and irrational given the situation and how he reacted to Pyle's naivety, niceness, and overall mannerisms. I also think the story does a wonderful job with the feeling of loneliness and how it affects a person. Thomas was acting selfish, but when one doesn't want to be alone is there any other way to act?