The Quiet American

I've been meaning to read something by Graham Greene for a while, and this was the first novel of his I happened across. Written in 1956, it tells the story of the unfolding relationship between Fowler, a world-weary and cynical British reporter, and Pyle, a naive American sent across to represent US interests in Vietnam. Set against the backdrop of the French attempt to suppress the communist uprising. It is a vivid and complex story, and interestingly prescient regarding America's role in Vietnam in subsequent decades. "I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused" says Fowler of Pyle, and it serves as a verdict of American foreign policy - the foolishness and destructiveness of a new imperialist power, as few through the eyes of an old imperialist power.

The focal point of the clash between Fowler and Pyle is Phuong, Fowlerr's beautiful Vietnamese lover. Pyle falls for her as well, and proceeds to try to win her from Fowler. There is a simmering tension between the two men, which never threatens to erupt into violence, despite the raw emotions involved.

Morally ambiguous and complex, this makes a very interesting read - both as a novel and as historical commentary.