Hello everyone
I had written today’s email about Damascus Station when I heard an interview with John Sawers, the former head of MI6, in which he said:
Damascus Station … is the most accurate rendition of life in a tough war zone
I’m grateful to Mr Sawers for giving me a hook to introduce Damascus Station.
The world after le Carré
For decades of the twentieth century the preeminent spy/espionage author was John le Carré, a former British intelligence officer. But then the USSR fell and we (in the West) thought we’d won peace. Of course, we were wrong, and for most of the twenty-first century, Islamic terrorism has been one of the pivotal threats.
With global geopolitical changes, the world of fiction changed. Le Carré’s books looked to different subjects, such as corporate malfeasance, and much of the market for espionage books populated by clever, quiet people patiently working to protect their nation’s interest was replaced by a new breed of loud, shouty people waving their big guns as they jumped out of helicopters.
But now there’s something of a renaissance in spy fiction, and this is where we come to Damascus Station which was written by David McCloskey, a former CIA analyst.
Damascus Station
Damascus Station has parallels with le Carré’s writing, looking at the work of the intelligence agencies (in this case, the CIA). Also like le Carré, much of the action is driven by personal relationship, hinging on trust and betrayal.
But unlike le Carré, this novel is very much of the twenty-first century. Indeed, it has a feel of the third decade of this century with lawyers needing to be involved before CIA operational decisions can be made.
The novel is (largely) set in Syria against a background where the Assad dictatorship is developing, and first using, sarin gas on its own population.
The starting point for the story is the CIA’s attempt to find the man responsible for the disappearance of an American operative. To help their investigation into the missing operative, the CIA recruit spies (specifically, the CIA recruit Syrian nationals with access to information).
Without giving away the plot, woven throughout the novel, are studies of the human motivations to spy against one’s own country, coupled with a graphic understanding of the risks, both to the spy, the spy’s family and loved ones, and the CIA operatives.
And by extrapolation, the novel shows how dictatorships “work”. We see family members arrested to get leverage over other individuals. Much of this leverage is exerted by the omnipresent secret police, who are a clumsy, crude tool, but yet, are highly effective.
There is some measure of spycraft/tradecraft in the book, but not too much, and very little use of hi-tech gizmos.
There is a lot more I could say to entice you to read the book, but I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I would simply encourage you to head to your local bookshop and read the first few pages (or look at a preview in one of the online stores).
I should add a warning: there is an element of torture/violence which can verge on the graphic. However, this is probably necessary to establish the stakes within the story. And we should remember that the Assad regime in Syria doesn’t have a reputation for respecting human rights.
Until May
That’s me for this month. If you pick it up, enjoy reading Damascus Station.
I’ll be back in May when I’ll have a few more espionage suggestions. Until then.
All the best
Simon