The Mission Song

by: John le Carre

Published by: Little Brown

Reviewed by Jeff Foster

In his latest novel The Mission Song, John le Carre gives an expose on the trial and tribulations concerning the plight of the Peoples Democratic Republic of the Congo--in particular the areas east of he Congo River bordering Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

Bruno Salvador is the love child of an English missionary and a local woman that Bruno never knew. As a child, he is raised in the Eastern Congo and soon proves his virtuosity in speaking the variety of tongues used among the native tribes. After the death of his father, he is shipped back to England to attend school where he picks up more languages

Seeing his value in the melting pot of English society, Salvador is tapped from his civilian jobs working for London corporations, immigrations authorities and health and legal services, to be an interpreter for British intelligence.

Late one afternoon, while translating for a dying African patient at a local hospital, Salvador falls in love and has sex with the Congolese nurse, this might not seem important but he has conversations in his head with her throughout the rest of the book.

That same evening while attending a celebration for the wife he doesn't love, he is abruptly called by his superiors. He is then swept off to a remote island in the North Sea by a group simply know as the "Syndicate" whom has made it their charge to bring the powers that be together to solve the problems of the Eastern Congo. They need a translator.

With the story in place--and high-tech gadgetry and surveillance equipment the "Syndicate" has in place for the historic meeting--this all looks like classic le Carre. Unfortunately, it is at this point that the plot stumbles into a bit of a tedious political and social diatribe.

Yes, the topic is important, but there are a few too many conversations going on in Salvador's head (the novel is written in first person) for the reader to keep it straight. I found myself confused on many different levels as to who was talking to whom.

Armchair Interviews says: Heed this reviewer's comments before deciding on this well-known author's newest book.