Half Way There...

Getting through the first part of any book is a difficult thing, even more when it's for school, but I did it. A lot has been happening in the book so far, a lot still has to happen. The English and the Americans are spying on the Russians, a publisher is made a messenger for the English and a Russian woman started the whole mess. On to something that I noticed though, the narration feels all jumbled. I can't tell whether is Palfrey (the narrator) speaking since the book is all in the past, sort of like a retelling. Or Katya (the Russian women who started the mess) talking since Palfrey had no way of knowing how she felt or what she was thinking. Or it could even be Barley (the English messenger) talking because of the same reason from above. It seems as if the narration jumps around with no clarity. I feel that everything John le Carré has done so far is amazing. The way he writes the characters out and the style he uses in his writing. If it wasn’t really for the last two chapters I read, chapters 7 and 8, I would have been perfectly content.

            I probably would try to only stick with two narrators at most if I was going to write something like this. It should be clear to the reader who the speaker is at all times and I’ve tried that in my writing many times before. Each time I failed, I was perplexed by the way it stumped me. I couldn’t read an example of one that wasn’t clear. Now that I have, I want to try to focus on making everything very clear. If I got stumped on a published authors writing, I can’t imagine how confusing mine must be.

Almost Half Way There...

I'm back again! As I was continuing my reading, I saw something that really struck me as curious. In many books that I have read in the past, when the focus on a character is changed, there usually is a new chapter starting or some sort of break thats clear. Not in this book though, the changed focus is subtle. I came across this in chapter 6. There is a bit of a break but nothing substantial that I could catch on my first reading of the page.

"She pressed the bell, three rings, then shoved the card under the door.



A perfect Moscow morning, alight and beckoning, the air alpine, a day to forgive all sins. The telephone call behind him, Barley stepped out of his hotel..." (120)
I tried to recreate the line break here so you can understand what I'm talking about. Normally I would have no problem reading this, and that was true. What I had a problem with was the fact I didn't catch it fast enough. If I had been paying attention to the words on the page instead of what they were saying, the following of the new person would have been clear.

A Quarter of the Way There!

As I started to read my book, I noticed how the book was being narrated. The name "Henry" kept popping up and I was getting confused. Who was this Henry? Why was he being spoken to? Is he significant in any way? And then the author, John le Carré, explained it. Henry was actually the narrator and he was speaking to himself in a way. "Though Harry is not my real name." (17) and "You need not stumble on me long. Horatio Benedict dePalfrey are my names but you may forget the first two immediately, and somehow nobody has ever remembered the 'de' at all. In the service I am Harry, so quiet often, being an obedient soul, I am Harry to myself." (29) The narrator was Henry but not really named Henry and he talked to himself. In the end of chapter one he gives us that he really isn't Henry, whom reveals that he is now the narrator. In chapter two though, he lets us know a little bit more. His actual name to start with and then what people refer to him as a way to distinguish himself.

This writing is something I am not used to. I would love to be able to use this technique in my writing. I love having a narrator in my short story pieces and in my writing in general. This way of having the narrator talk to themselves, talk to you and be involved in the story is amazing. This technique is hard to master but I feel that I could achieve that with a lot of hard work and great ideas, possibly one involving action and spies.

Before I Start

When I read as a writer, I usually like to see how the author makes the characters interact. This time, I want to focus on how the descriptions are done. I have that problem with my writing pieces and I want to fix it. I chose The Russia House by John le Carré to start the process of fixing my writing. The reason I chose my book is because I have another book called Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by this author. I haven't read the second book yet so I decided that I should try The Russia House instead because I have it currently with me.