The Quiet American by Graham Greene

Graham Greene's The Quiet American, published in 1955 is regarded as his political masterpiece. It takes place in Saigon, Vietnam in the years leading up to the Vietnam War.

In the novel, the narrator Thomas Fowler, a jaded, middle-aged British war correspondent, finds his life entangled with the idealistic, young American, Alden Pyle, and a beautiful, Vietnamese woman, 18-year-old Phuong, whom they both love. The novel scrutinizes American foreign policy and interventionism during these years. Pyle is a CIA agent whose naive beliefs and actions help disrupt the fragile balance of the region, leading to a clash of cultures and a tragic outcome that foreshadows the Vietnam War. The plot seems straightforward, but its deep layers explore themes of love, morality, and truth and international ethics.

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Good reading!