The other kind of spy

A few thoughts after reading The Peacock and the Sparrow

At the end of the road, I've learned, espionage turns into a profession of ghosts. The culmination of actions taken or not taken, ends swallowed by means. A place where, even after you disappear, you can't escape.

― I.S. Berry, The Peacock and the Sparrow

My friend Dan once complained that it’s nearly impossible to find an espionage novel that isn’t a right-wing fantasy. I knew what he meant. I grew up reading Tom Clancy novels, which are entertaining and informative, but also really dumb.

Tom Clancy wanted readers of his Jack Ryan novels to understand that the men in the intelligence community know best, and that any American politician who isn’t a hawk is as much of a threat to America as the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, or whatever bogeyman is cast in the villain’s role. There are several words to describe this kind of world view, but my favorite is jingoistic. (It’s just fun to say).

Clancy’s politics are woven into every book, but the fantasy reaches a fever pitch at the end of Debt of Honor, a book about a cabal of Japanese industrialists who seize power and wage war against the U.S. with the covert help of China and India. The premise doesn’t make any geopolitical sense, but that’s the point—only people like Clancy’s hero, super spy Jack Ryan, can see the threat amid the nonsense. At the end of the novel—spoiler alert—a mad man flies a jumbo jet into the Capital, killing the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court. In the following book, Executive Orders, Jack Ryan is the new President. Plot twist! Shit pops off in the Middle East, courtesy of Iran, while the Chinese and Indians look to take advantage of a weakened America. But don’t worry! Jack Ryan is on it. And just as soon as the American people send him the right kind of Congress, he can appoint the right kind of Supreme Court, and all will be right with America, even if the world is a dangerous mess. To quote George W. Bush out of context, “that was some weird shit.”

In theory, I love a good espionage thriller. There’s tension, suspense, mystery, intrigue, and action. But in practice, the espionage thriller is a crime sub-genre I tend to avoid. Bestsellers like Brad Thor (what a name!), Jack Carr, or Mark Greaney, who took over writing the Jack Ryan novels after Clancy died, all melt into the same jingoistic stew—an unchallenging dish that isn’t all that comforting for someone who has questions.

I have questions. Not so much geopolitical questions—I’ll stick to nonfiction for those. But I want to know what it’s like to be a spy. How does it feel to live a life of deception? How does one keep track of all those lies without going bonkers? How do you cultivate a relationship knowing that you intend to use that person and maybe send them to their death? What kind of sick fucks do this for a living? How do they live with themselves? But also, is each day life or death, or do spies get bored? What’s the deal with CIA office politics? Do some days feel more like The Office than, say, The Sum of All Fears? Do spies drink too much and sleep with their colleagues, or the spouses of their colleagues? Do they lead lives of quiet desperation, just like the rest of us?

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry speaks to these questions, not with simplistic answers, but with smart insights into human behavior. It’s the other kind of spy novel, the kind that follows in the tradition John le Carré and Viet Thanh Nguyen.

Fun fact: John le Carré and I.S. Berry were both spies before becoming authors. Maybe that’s why they pay far more attention to the human dramas of their world, while skipping the hallow rah-rah politics, the heroics, and the kinds of toys—think cufflinks that shoot poison darts, jetpacks, and cigarette rocket launchers—that play better in the movies.

Here’s the book jacket summary to give you an idea of what you’re in for with The Peacock and the Sparrow:

Shane Collins, a world-weary CIA spy, is ready to come in from the cold. Stationed in Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia for his final tour, he has little use for his mission—uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. Then Collins meets Almaisa, a beautiful and enigmatic artist, and his eyes are opened to a side of Bahrain most expats never experience, to questions he never thought to ask.

When his trusted informant inside the opposition becomes embroiled in a murder, Collins finds himself drawn deep into the conflict. His budding romance with Almaisa—and his loyalties—are upended; in an instant, he’s caught in the crosswinds of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he sets out to learn the truth behind the Arab Spring, win Almaisa’s love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain’s secrets end and America’s begin.

I enjoyed The Peacock and the Sparrow in the same way that I enjoyed The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen or John le Carré’s George Smiley series. In their own ways, these books that tell the stories of the other kind of spies are about complicated people, living complicated lives, doing complicated jobs, inside of a very complicated geopolitical context. Some readers find these kinds of espionage novels unsettling because there are no easy answers, but I find them comforting for the exact same reason.

I write crime novels in addition to humor. I call my brand of crime Slacker Noir because it draws on two genres—noir and slacker comedies. If you’re a fan of The Big Lebowski or Inherent Vice, you’re swimming in Slacker Noir waters. To keep swimming in those waters, check out my novel Not Safe for Work on Amazon, or all the other book places.

I want to know what you think!

1. Have you read The Peacock and the Sparrow?

2. Are you fan of novels about the other kind of spies? Got any recommendations?

3. I’ve been meaning to check out the adaptation of The Sympathizer on HBO. Anyone seen the show yet? Thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

I’ll be back at the usual time on Sunday with another serving of slice of life humor. In the meantime, please Share / Restack this so I can find more crime fans🕵️‍♂️🚬🥃🔫

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