I actually finished Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene back in September. I was in the mood for some well-written satire and this seemed to fit the bill when it came up on KU. It is a well-written black comedy that played off of the setting in Havana just before the revolution. I enjoyed it and will probably consider some of his novels in the future. We are also going to watch the film.
Our Man in Havana
By Graham Greene
James Wormold, a cash-strapped vacuum cleaner salesman in Havana, finds the answer to his prayers when British Intelligence offers him a lucrative job as an undercover agent. To keep the checks coming, Wormold must at least pretend to know what he’s doing. Soon, he’s apparently deciphering incomprehensible codes, passing along sketches of secret weapons that look suspiciously like vacuum parts, and claiming to recruit fellow operatives from his country club, all to create the perfect picture of intrigue.
But when MI6 dispatches a secretary to oversee his endeavors, Wormold fears his carelessly fabricated world will come undone. Instead, it all comes true. Somehow, he’s become the target of an assassin, and it’s going to take more than a fib to get out of Cuba alive. Her Majesty’s man in Havana may have to resort to spying.
Published October 24, 1958
226 pages