The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

One of the major books on my list to finish while on vacation was The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. I'd started it a few years ago after seeing the Christian Bale/Bob Hoskins remake. What I found most interesting was the way Conrad described the terrorist, The Professor. It really made me think of the September 11th attacks in the US. Here is a novel that was written around the turn of the 20th century which explores similar themes we were dealing with at the turn of the 21st century. The Professor, portrayed by Robin Williams in the film, cares nothing about governments or religion claiming to be a true anarchist. His only desire is to create the perfect detonator for the explosives he carries on his person at all times. (Apparently, this novel was a favorite of the Unabomber.)

But the Professor is just a background character in the seedy underbelly of London. The real focus is on Mr. Verloc, his wife. Winnie, and her special needs brother, Stevie. The tragedy is not in the actions taken by the terrorist group or even Winnie's final act, but in the way Verloc misused his brother-in-law. Winnie and her mother, having told Stevie that Mr. Verloc is a "good" man, gave a very willing servant to a desperate man. This trust, both Stevie's child-like trust of the adult figure in his life and the trust of a wife in her husband, is betrayed and results in Stevie's death.

Definitely a fantastic read and not as difficult to navigate as Conrad's Heart of Darkness. It does skip around in time throughout the narrative, but that only increases the reader's ability to comprehend the severity of the crimes perpetrated.