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A review by darwin8u
The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer
3.0
“God in His infinite wisdom Did not make me very wise— So when my actions are stupid They hardly take God by surprise”
― Olen Steinhauer, The Cairo Affair
I love great genre fiction. Steinhauer represents some of the very best of modern espionage literature. While he hasn't yet reached the level of le Carré, he is now reaching towards the top shelf of literary spy fiction with peers like le Carré, Littell, Furst, etc.
The Cairo Affair is an important bookmark in espionage fiction. In this 21st Century, post 9-11 world, Steinhauer (along with le Carré) is the go-to fiction writer to understand the nuances of private-contract espionage, post-Soviet global realignments, and the moral failings of a waning American empire (all with a non-US-centric outlook on espionage and foreign policy). The Cairo Affair highlights the fact that the CIA is slowly losing its place as the gravitational center of the spy universe (at least in fiction) and seems to have lost its principled, idealistic foundations as well.
This isn't nearly a perfect spy novel. There are flaws and imperfections through out. What I appreciate about it is Steinhauer isn't looking to land an easy jump. He is jumping into complicated territory and I'll grade him a bit easier knowing he is gravitating towards the more difficult and nuanced stories. Give him time and he is going to inherit the crown.
― Olen Steinhauer, The Cairo Affair
I love great genre fiction. Steinhauer represents some of the very best of modern espionage literature. While he hasn't yet reached the level of le Carré, he is now reaching towards the top shelf of literary spy fiction with peers like le Carré, Littell, Furst, etc.
The Cairo Affair is an important bookmark in espionage fiction. In this 21st Century, post 9-11 world, Steinhauer (along with le Carré) is the go-to fiction writer to understand the nuances of private-contract espionage, post-Soviet global realignments, and the moral failings of a waning American empire (all with a non-US-centric outlook on espionage and foreign policy). The Cairo Affair highlights the fact that the CIA is slowly losing its place as the gravitational center of the spy universe (at least in fiction) and seems to have lost its principled, idealistic foundations as well.
This isn't nearly a perfect spy novel. There are flaws and imperfections through out. What I appreciate about it is Steinhauer isn't looking to land an easy jump. He is jumping into complicated territory and I'll grade him a bit easier knowing he is gravitating towards the more difficult and nuanced stories. Give him time and he is going to inherit the crown.