England Made Me

An interesting (and unintentional) choice after the prior read. The England referred to by Greene is utterly different to Coe's, an era untainted by World War II but still scarred by World War I and influenced by the Depression. This was the first time I'd read a Greene novel for some while, and I was reminded just how well he writes; the effortless ability to capture a moment or create an atmosphere in only a few apposite phrases. His similes are seamless too. Greene's cast of characters span a broad spectrum, but to the extent there is a commonality, then it is in their sense for meaning and for purpose. Much of this in England Made Me is tied up with loyalty (to a sibling, an employer, or even one's country) with the role of the Catholic Church also inevitably present. The action in this novel continued to surprise, and the ruthless violence too. The conclusion of the novel supports immorality (or amorality at best): the bad guys win. Of course they do, for this is how one survives in life. Eight and a half out of ten.

By Graham Greene