The Mission Song

The Mission Song is a thriller/espionage novel by John le Carré, published in October 2006. It was featured on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime programme from October 2nd to October 13 of 2006, read by Paterson Joseph.

Set against the background of the chaotic East Congo, the story involves the planning of a Western-backed coup in the province of Kivu, told from the worm's-eye view of the hapless interpreter. Although the events are fictional, the book evokes a rich and detailed picture of the political and racial tensions of the region, highlighting the greed and amorality of local bureaucrats and Western interests, and calling attention to the apathy of the British press concerning the ongoing humanitarian crisis of the Congo War.

Plot summary

Bruno Salvador, known to friends and enemies alike as Salvo, is the illegitimate child of a Catholic missionary and an anonymous native of the East Congo. Educated in England and fluent in many African tongues, he finds a natural calling as a specialist interpreter, employed by London hospitals, law courts, city corporations, and British intelligence. Bruno has begun a passionate extramarital affair with a Congolese nurse.

En route from this rendezvous to a party thrown by his wife, he is offered a job from his handler at the Ministry of Defence, interpreting at a conference between Congolese warlords and their putative Western backers, the nameless "Syndicate"—the objective of which, according to the plotters, is to eject Kivu's Rwandan occupiers and install a liberal, benevolent politician dubbed "the Mwangaza" at its head.

Whisked to a nameless island in the North Sea, he is set to his task—as well as interpreting at the conference, he must also decipher the recordings from the hidden microphones with which the island is festooned. Unbeknownst to his employers, Salvo listens in on the brutal torture of one the Congolese delegates who shows signs of defecting from the agreement. It becomes apparent that the Syndicate's real objective is to plunder the mineral wealth of Kivu and the Mwangaza is no more than a puppet. Afterwards, Salvo pockets the tapes and his notes, and returns to London.

Bruno attempts, with the aid of his lover Hannah, to alert the authorities and the press and stop the coup from happening. Ultimately the plot fails, but Bruno is arrested and stripped of his British citizenship. The novel ends with Salvo languishing in a holding facility for asylum seekers, awaiting his deportation to the Congo and his reuniting with Hannah.

Critical reception

The book received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Metacritic reported the book had an average score of 63 out of 100, based on 25 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/books/authors/lecarrejohn/missionsong |title=The Mission Song by John le Carre: Reviews |accessdate=2008-02-17 |publisher=Metacritic]

References

External links

* [http://tls.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25339-2367283,00.html "John le Carré's allegiances"] : a review in the [http://www.the-tls.co.uk TLS] by Michael Saler, September 2006
* [http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/mission_song/ Reviews]