The Quiet American

One of Graham Greene's more well known books, and hovering around a relatively high rating on GR, although not as high as I might have thought (most of his books sit between 3.5 and 4 stars, but based typically on more than a thousand ratings).

I won't plot outline, as there are may good reviews already to offer that, but in terms of main points and themes: set in French Indo-China (Vietnam), the three central characters are a British war correspondent, an American CIA agent (under cover as an Economic Development officer), and a Vietnamese mistress. The story is fast moving, the book is short. The book examines relationships, personal morality and the complexity of foreign affairs.

Important to note this was written in 1955, so pre-dates the Vietnam War (I was initially incorrectly placing the time just prior to the Vietnam War when I started reading - for a few pages until they started talking about the French...).

An enjoyable 4 stars.