This novel is not my first Geoffrey Household rodeo, and each time I read something from him, I’m captivated by the intricacies of his imagination. In fact, this is my sixth Household read so far (see links below).
What sets Household apart from most other thriller authors is the detail and realism he infuses into his works. It’s totally possible that this is just my own tastes talking, and perhaps anyone could same of their own favorite authors, but honestly, when compared to the next generation of popular thriller authors like Michael Crichton or Robin Cook, there’s just no comparison. Their books, while adventurous, are comparatively so shallow and fluffy and contain elements so unbelievable that they’re often laughable. Household instead crafts his protagonists as flawed and real-as-life men stuck in mostly plausible situations of deadly seriousness, as least for all those involved. He draws me into his stories, and I needn’t suspend my beliefs to enjoy them. For this, he reminds me of the likes of Lionel Davidson and (to a lesser degree) Robert Van Gulik.
In this novel, Julian Despard is a terrorist living in England, part of a cell connected to a much larger organization named Magma. Suspecting that the leadership of Magma may be going nuclear with an intent of killing civilians (and themselves in the process), Despard begins a tell-all journal to record his attempts to stop his own organization from making a colossal mistake.
The politics of the book are generic enough for a non-Briton like me to appreciate. Magma is a collection of misfit communist cells unafraid of violence, and their organization (or at least to the extent that Despard understands it) is pretty well described throughout. One character not part of the cells yet interested in disrupting the status quo says: “I will call myself a Libertarian Communist. That’s not unlike a Christian Anarchist, but without the religion.” (97)
Household crafts an intricate history for Julian Despard with his various aliases, not to mention his willingness to kill when in a tight spot. He becomes an unlovable hero, the man you sort of hope dies in the end despite all his intentions to help prevent the murder of millions. Household aims for a very narrow target with a character like this, but his aim is true.
One thing that made me laugh was Household’s inclusion of the fringe religious sect, the “Seventh Day Baptists.” Yeah, that’s pretty fringe. About as fringe as the Latter Day Lutherans.
As always, there were a few nuggets of wisdom that Household shared his in the book, and here are two of my favorites:
“Accept a label and you get your thinking done for you free of further charge on the intelligence.” (78)
“An actor can never be a leader; he has too little self beyond the mirror. But a leader of men must be an actor.” (187)
I enjoyed this story and am excited to have found yet another Household novel on my book-swap site. As far as I can tell, he wrote 25 novels for adults (plus 4 for youth, six collections of short stories, and an autobiography), so plenty of entertainment still awaits!
©2022 E.T.
Read More from Geoffrey Household:
- The Third Hour (1937)
- Rogue Male (1939)
- A Rough Shoot (1951)
- Fellow Passenger (1955)
- The Brides of Solomon and Other Stories (1958)
- Watcher in the Shadows (1960)
- Olura (1965)
- Hostage: London (1977)
- The Last Two Hours of Georges Rivac (1978)