The Captain and the Enemy
Ratings5
Average rating3.6
Victor Baxter is a young boy when a secretive stranger known simply as “the Captain” takes him from his boarding school to live in London. Victor becomes the surrogate son and companion of a woman named Liza, who renames him “Jim” and depends on him for any news about the world outside their door. Raised in these odd yet touching circumstances, Jim is never quite sure of Liza’s relationship to the Captain, who is often away on mysterious errands. It is not until Jim reaches manhood that he confronts the Captain and learns the shocking truth about the man, his allegiances, and the nature of love. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction by John Auchard. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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A short novel, and a quick read from Greene - his last published novel (1988).
Greene does espionage well - most of my favourites of his books seem to be espionage.
He tells the story well, framed by the main character writing the story of his life from memory, and constantly reminding us of his unreliability to remember accurately. It starts as a young boy in boarding school, when he is visited by a stranger knows only as ‘the captain', who brings him from school to London to live as a surrogate son with a woman named Liza. They rename him ‘Jim' as Victor isn't seen as a beneficial name, whereas The Captain changes the name he uses frequently.
As Jim grows up he weighs his relationship with The Captain, Liza and his father (referred to as ‘The Devil') whom The Captain and Liza both have history with. The Captain is characterised by his frequent absences, regular cheques of varying values which he sends to Liza, and his unusual behaviour.
Eventually, as a young man Jim follows The Captain to his current exotic location - Panama, where Jim comes to terms with the things The Captain is wrapped up in.
Always a good read, Graham Green.
4 stars.
