Transcription, by Kate Atkinson
Since reading Life After Life for one of our book club meetings a few years ago, Kate Atkinson has been a personal favorite of mine. Her newest, a well-constructed, sly World War II spy novel, is another welcome addition to Atkinson's repertoire.
Juliet Armstrong is a clever young woman with no family connections, just the sort of person that MI5 is looking for as war with Germany looms over Europe. War, Juliet notes sardonically, creates an immense amount of paperwork. MI5 is filled with girls like her, typing and filing and making a living while trying to enjoy themselves through rationing and black outs. When she is handpicked to join a small operation in London, she's both excited and trepidatious; but the work turns out to be rather dull, transcribing recordings of traitorous citizens who think they're passing information on to the Germans, when in fact their contact is a British spy.
Atkinson does not structure her novel chronologically, so we know that there is more to Juliet's story than first meets the eye. We are introduced to her at 60, then as a younger woman five years after the war, then during the war itself. We go back and forth between these time periods, as Atkinson reveals bit by bit the terrible event that haunts Juliet.
As always with Atkinson's novels, her writing is the epitome of dry, British wit and a true pleasure to read. One description suggesting a physical resemblance to a giraffe had me laughing out loud. But the humor does not detract from the seriousness of Juliet or her situation; she may feel ridiculous at times, working with spies who seem more banal than dangerous, but the threat of war is very real, as are the consequences if something in her operation goes wrong. This is a fantastic literary page-turner, perfect for a cold night with a cup of tea...and all the lights on.
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Juliet Armstrong is a clever young woman with no family connections, just the sort of person that MI5 is looking for as war with Germany looms over Europe. War, Juliet notes sardonically, creates an immense amount of paperwork. MI5 is filled with girls like her, typing and filing and making a living while trying to enjoy themselves through rationing and black outs. When she is handpicked to join a small operation in London, she's both excited and trepidatious; but the work turns out to be rather dull, transcribing recordings of traitorous citizens who think they're passing information on to the Germans, when in fact their contact is a British spy.
Atkinson does not structure her novel chronologically, so we know that there is more to Juliet's story than first meets the eye. We are introduced to her at 60, then as a younger woman five years after the war, then during the war itself. We go back and forth between these time periods, as Atkinson reveals bit by bit the terrible event that haunts Juliet.
As always with Atkinson's novels, her writing is the epitome of dry, British wit and a true pleasure to read. One description suggesting a physical resemblance to a giraffe had me laughing out loud. But the humor does not detract from the seriousness of Juliet or her situation; she may feel ridiculous at times, working with spies who seem more banal than dangerous, but the threat of war is very real, as are the consequences if something in her operation goes wrong. This is a fantastic literary page-turner, perfect for a cold night with a cup of tea...and all the lights on.
Shop indie!
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