THE HUMAN FACTOR

Espionage has long attracted some of our greatest writers because of the complexity of human interaction that it allows them to explore. Betrayal, fear, divided allegiance, even love - all are opportunities available for the novelist to plumb in the context of the spy story, which is why authors such as Greene and Le Carré again and again return to the genre. All those human conditions are made vivid in this, one of Greene's most stunning works, which centers on Maurice Castle, a bureaucrat in the British intelligence service, who pays a debt with the ultimate betrayal of his country. Greene's keen insight and subtlety put the greatest burdens on a reader, and in Tim Pigott-Smith he is well served. In a narration brimming with intelligence and deep feeling, Pigott-Smith perfectly captures Greene in all of his strengths, from his acidic humor to his portrayal of sundering despair. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]