The Tailor of Panama is a standalone John le Carre novel, although it is still set in the world of spying as are most of his stories. I listened to this on audio where it was excellently read by Michael Jayston – I particularly enjoyed his possibly unconscious imitation of Michael Caine for the voice of one character.
In Panama Harry Pendel is a tailor to the rich and powerful. His business is successful, he is highly regarded and he has friends in high places. He has a wife and family, is planning to buy a rice farm and he also has a mistress. Into Harry’s settled world comes Andrew Osnard. At first Harry thinks that Osnard is just another customer but he soon finds out that Osnard is a spy who wants Harry to collect intelligence for him and that if he doesn’t do this then Osnard will reveal some grubby secrets from Harry’s past.
Harry is not really the person that everyone thinks he is and few of his stories of Saville Row and his dead partner Mr Braithwaite are true but he has built his life and career on this foundation so he has few options other than to assist Osnard by repeating to him the secrets that Harry has been privy to. But when Harry doesn’t have the secrets that Osnard wants then he makes them up and collects money for imaginary sources. Osnard himself is not entirely honest and he too is lying to his bosses in London. It is obvious that this will not end well.
The plot of this book very much mirrors that of Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene which is a book also worth reading. The difference is in in tone as where Greene’s book is slightly absurd I found that Le Carre’s book was more about disillusionment.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I thought that the characters were well created and that Harry and Osnard were very believable. Where Osnard is a rather nasty man Harry is not, despite his lies, but they are both in a very difficult position. As is usual with Le Carre the intelligence services are shown as rather squalid and immoral, and class often defines what happens.
I’m working my way through Le Carre’sd novels as narrated by Michael Jayston and this was an excellent performance which really brought the book to life.
Anne Is Reading 