What a Carre on as book club mulls Brexit & Megxit

ZOOMTIME is here again. This month our village book club was mulling over a spy novel from maestro John le Carre.

Specifically, the latest – and his last, given that he died last December – Agent Running In The Field.

It’s the first of his I’ve read, though I’m an addict of the film and TV versions of his earlier work particularly Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Alec Guinness or Gary Oldman, I don’t mind. They’re riveting.

But this is the written, and final, word.

The Economist called it “blisteringly contemporary”, and I can see why.

Le Carre, himself a former spook (insofar as any of them are “former” – they never really give up their trade), allows the book’s anti-hero Ed Shannon to denounce “our reigning Foreign Secretary, that **** ing Etonian narcissistic elitist without a decent conviction in his body bar his own advancement”.

No prizes for identifying a certain blond politician, who also appears as “a pig-ignorant Foreign Secretary” responsible for “the bloody lunacy of Brexit”. Le Carre was clearly getting some political porridge off his chest, in what he may have known would be his last chance.

As a novel, it’s probably not his best. As a polemic against this lot in power, it’s unequalled. But once we got the book out of the way and fell to gossiping, the subject of Meghan, Harry and that TV interview loomed large.

The women took Meghan’s side, and the men were more sceptical.

Oprah Winfrey isn’t in business to give the duchess an easy ride.

She wants ratings and headlines, preferably scandalous ones. We shall see. At least it’s a change from coronavirus.

“Fell off my bike yesterday. Landed on tarmac with a big thump. Loads of good people came over to check if I was OK. Unfortunately, none of them were wearing masks so I found myself basically shouting ‘Get away from me!’ Which probably didn’t come across well.”

David Baddiel