I have just finished listening to the audiobook, “The Honorary Consul”, by Graham Greene and narrated by Tim Pigott Smith.
I am a big fan of Graham Greene’s style of writing, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one, one of the few remaining Grahame Greene novels that I had not read up to now.
All of Greene’s books dip into the area of philosophy in an oblique but accessible way. Religion and love and the Roman Catholic religion in particular are always prominent themes in his novels.
“The Honorary Consul” continues in that vein and looks at the question of love, what love means, religion, the church, sex, class, freedom. Of all Greene’s books this one probably deals with the philosophical questions to a greater degree than any of his other novels such as “Brighton Rock”, “The End of the Affair”, “The Quiet American” and the one based in Haiti, whose name escapes me.
Anyway, if you like beautiful, spare, laconic writing and want an easy way to look at some philosophical issues in an enjoyable, accessible way read “The Honorary Consul”, or listen to Tim Pigott Smith’s performance of the audiobook.