DEC 2022: The Third Man by Graham Greene

[Samantha]

Our winter 2022/2023 book is The Third Man by Graham Greene.

"Rollo Martins' usual line is the writing of cheap paperback Westerns under the name of Buck Dexter. But when his old friend Harry Lime invites him to Vienna, he jumps at the chance. With exactly five pounds in his pocket, he arrives only just in time to make it to his friend's funeral. The victim of an apparently banal street accident, the late Mr. Lime, it seems, had been the focus of a criminal investigation, suspected of nothing less than being "the worst racketeer who ever made a dirty living in this city." Martins is determined to clear his friend's name, and begins an investigation of his own..."

Have you seen the movie version before? How will this affect your reading?

I loved Greene's book The End of the Affair so I am looking forward to soaking up his dense, emotional writing. It will be interesting to see how religion will play a role in the narrative, which is a common theme in his work.

Discuss your reading here.

[Samantha]

Greene's writing is really wonderful. He gives a lot of information in few words, painting characters quickly and believably.

Have you ever idolized someone the way Rollo Martins idolizes Harry Lime?

[Samantha]

I hope that you will join me in reading this novel. It is quite short. The Canongate audiobook is only 3 hours long. It also includes some zither music.

If someone you loved died and you believed they might have been murdered, would you carry out your own investigation or would you leave it to the police?

[Samantha]

Have you ever loved someone and then discovered something about them that made you change your mind? If you love someone, is there anything they could do that could make you stop feeling that way?