A review by kurtwombat
The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was expecting a political thriller, maybe throw in some action and intrigue, but instead THE SECRET AGENT is a delicious satire of a political thriller. The book starts with Adolf Verloc’s overly dramatic walk to a secret meeting where he is immediately admonished for never doing anything dramatic. The language is pure Conrad and the story creates tension and occasional shocks (including the astonishing fates of Verloc and his wife) but winks and nods abound. If the soul has a pulse, Conrad had his finger on it. His characters motivations scream in a tone they cannot hear but is clear enough to the reader. Active participants in their own mockery, the characters are sustained by their illusions. A passionless revolution is really just a pastime and anarchy is more lethargy than dangerous lively antics. A prescient mocking of what one day would be its own genre but at the time of it’s creation was just groundbreaking, this joins my list of favorite books including a few others by Conrad (LORD JIM, HEART OF DARKNESS & NOSTROMO).