Phew, finally I manage to read this book.. What a doorstop it is!! (I honestly think it qualifies enough as one Lol..)
I've always wanted to read a John le Carre, but I didn't always manage.. At first, I think I did try to read one of John's books when I was still in the university.. But I gave up within the first chapter because I thought then it was too tough for me in terms of the reading level (Yup, I did consider it tough then as it contains some "high"-level vocabulary..). Not only that, it does feature some politics which was a bit "above" me then as I was quite naive when I was still in my early 20s. Ok, I could give it a try but having given it a thought, I thought why not read John's books when I'm more mature.. Fast forward now here I am.. I think I don't regret my decision now..
I think it was a wise decision to introduce the character Woodrow first in the book. At first, I really thought Woodrow is the protagonist. There was some slight confusion on my part to differentiate the slew of characters being introduced within the first few chapters. As the story goes on, I became used to it. I don't know, I just think the slow introduction of Justin, the main character, i.e. the bereaved husband is a bit ingenious. As this book can be considered a mystery, fair enough to say the introduction of Justin after Woodrow is quite apt too. May be this is the intention of the author for us to treat Justin with a bit of mystery (slowly surfacing from shadows).
Besides that, I kept picturing Liam Neeson instead of Ralph Fiennes as Justin (Well, I started with Woodrow because he is introduced first). This is not to say Ralph is not a good actor or that I don't like him, may be I watched too much of Taken Lol. Besides, I have also not watched the movie (The Constant Gardener) yet. Despite of this, I would honestly think that the casting of Rachel Weisz as Tessa in the movie was ingenious :P
Talking about the characterization, I have to admit that there are a lot of characters in this book. Like I said, I had a hard time differentiating them at first but I slowly adapted to them. All the characters are quite balanced, all were in fact very well-developed (which is huge criteria in a book). Even the baddies :P Of course, I like these characters a lot. As I read more and more about them, I became fond of them. It was a bit hard to part with them too. With this, I can say that this book is a character-driven book as much as it is a plot-driven book. The plot and the characterization are well balanced, without one overlapping the other.
As I was first being introduced to the characters, the first part of the book is a bit slow for me. As the story builds up, I found it more and more engrossing as I was more acquainted with the characters. Towards the middle part, I found that it is the most interesting part for me. I finally knew why Justin's wife was murdered. What were being hidden behind the scene. It was riveting to know these details slowly.
However, as quick as the mystery thickens towards the middle part, the intensity also quickly dissipates towards the end. As I got to know everything that happened behind the scene already, anything that could happen to Justin next could be a little bit "predictable". Despite of this, I have to say that I did enjoy this novel. Having read many novels, albeit not many in this genre (spy-like & political), I can say that it is quite a "quiet" novel i.e. featuring a solitary man in a quest for truth (the murder of this wife). This is why I said I like this book.
I also finally knew the meaning of the three bees flying on the front cover of the book. At first, I really thought it is related to the protagonist's hobby as an avid planter (hence the title of the book) but the allusion turns out to be a much sinister one. You have to read the book (or anywhere else) or watch the movie to find out more for yourself though :P
Overall, I really like this book. I'm glad I managed to finish this book. At last, I can add one John's book into my read books' list :P
Excerpt:
Making his way past broken-down trolleys laden with recumbent bodies, smelling the blood and excrement mingling with the sweet, horsy scent of Africa, Woodrow wonders whether this squalor is part of what makes her attractive to him: I have spent my life in flight from reality, but because of her I am drawn to it.
As we have learned to our cost, thought Justin from far inside his glass capsule. He rose weightlessly from the table and was surprised to see his own image in a great number of mirrors at the same time. He saw himself from all angles, at all ages of his life. Justin the lost child in big houses, friend of cooks and gardeners. Justin the schoolboy rugby star. Justin the professional bachelor, burying his loneliness in numbers. Justin the Foreign Office white hope and no-hoper, photographed with his friend the dracaena palm. Justin the newly widowed father of his dead and only son.
No comments:
Post a Comment