Imagine Jane Austen writing a spy novel set in 1970s
London, and you’ll have a decent idea what to expect of the latest book from Atonement author Ian McEwan.
Beautiful, conservative Serena Frome, a third-rate
mathematician with a passion for books, is groomed for recruitment to the
British intelligence service by her much-older lover. She is assigned to the
“Sweet Tooth” project, a secret effort to fight the Communism culture war by
funnelling government money to anti-Communist writers.
Serena’s first recruit is Tom Haley, a charming artistic
sort who writes short stories about lust, betrayal and self-delusion. Her
fascination with these stories leads to an attraction to Tom and they begin an exciting
affair, spending their weekends going to classy restaurants, drinking champagne
and discussing literature.
But the longer the affair continues, the harder it is for
Serena to keep her mission a secret or avoid the suspicions of MI5 – especially
when Tom uses their money to write a dystopian novel about the excesses of
capitalism.
Sweet Tooth is
a classic McEwan book, with the same slow pace and long, introspective chapters
as Atonement and On Chesil Beach. The Cold War discussions are interesting if you
like history and politics, and the descriptions of British intelligence call to
mind the dimly-lit bureaucratic intrigue of Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy.
But if you’re hoping for a thriller, you’ll be
disappointed. Early hints of violence and danger never go anywhere, and the only
real surprise is a clever plot twist at the very end, which makes you want to
go through the book all over again to pick up the clues you missed.
