Serena Frome is a college student with a pretty normal life aside from an affair with a much older man. She reads a lot of books and doesn't expect a lot of excitement from her life. But this older man becomes the starting point for her new life - as a spy for MI5.
Serena's love of books, her willingness to learn from her father-figure lover, and her inner need for excitement make her say yes to being part of an MI5 operation called "Sweet Tooth" in which she is to groom a little-known writer to put out work in line with the government's current agenda. The writer, of course, does not know he will be working for the government, and he begins to trust Serena. And she begins to fall for him. The question is, can she lie to everyone, including herself, about her hidden agendas?
Now, I am a big fan of spy-thriller books and movies. As you probably know if you read this blog, I love Daniel Silva, and my still-favorite TV show of all time is "Alias." So when I picked up this book billed as an interesting, complicated spy story with a female lead, I said, "Yeah, right up my alley." What I got with this novel was more than that - and less. The writing is brilliant, thoughtful, complex, and everything you'd expect from Atonement author McEwan. But the story itself is a more psychological character study than spy thriller. So, the story is rich and characters interesting, but fast-paced and thrilling, it simply isn't.
So, if you love McEwan's literary style, good characters, and a thoughtful plot you'll like this book a lot. If you want your characters to also shoot at bad guys, blow stuff up, and engage in races against time, you probably should try again. It's all what you want and what you like. Let me know what you think!
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