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Article: `The Constant Gardener,' by John le Carre; Scribner.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- December 13, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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How could the master of all things gray have gone so black and white?
And how do we make John le Carre, spy writer nonpareil, go back into the shadows for his material again?
Surely there must be some shadows still. Even if le Carre has been without his best villain, the Soviet bloc, for a decade now, there must be some corners where it is not very clear who is good and who is opportunistic and who is bad and who is doing what it takes to survive. Le Carre has built a peerless career drawing those characters in the shadows, the people who are unsure of their own motives and who find themselves doing bad _ and good _ in spite of themselves.
But ...