The Ministry of Fear

December 13, 2009
Book of the Day: The Ministry of Fear, by Graham Greene
Grade: B+
First published: 1943
1-word review: Sneaky
6-word review: Don't ever accept cake from strangers.

In a war-time London continually under siege by German bombers, a man wins a cake under mysterious circumstances and becomes a target for murder. Greene had the habit of of classifying some of his novels as "entertainments," or less serious works geared towards a more general, less literary audience. This is one of those entertainments, as is Our Man in Havana.

And it is entertaining. There are all sorts of twists and turns and complex characters, and more humor than most of his works. Still, like his more serious works (The Heart of the Matter, The Power and the Glory, etc.), it exhibits Greene's mastery of language, plotting, and character development. I'm a tremendous fan of Graham Greene. You should be one too.

Britain was under constant bombardment because of this man, Idaho's most famous native son.

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Disgrace

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