Len Deighton – Funeral In Berlin (1964)
Novel – 380 pages – my copy (paperback) borrowed from Mr. Mooney in August 2010
- 2 nods out of 5 -
Deighton has become a by-word for spy-fiction. No, not the crusading hero kind of James Bond et al, but rather the thinking man’s spy; not indestructible and completely human. Len Deighton has authored a skyscraper tower of books, from popular novels to non-fiction upon war, and even cookery. This, then, is an author multi-faceted with a large writing tool-kit.
All of which made the Worm’s read of Funeral In Berlin all the more frustrating. One of his earlier novels, the book follows the journey of the un-named principal protagonist within the Berlin mouse-trap of the early 1960s. The Wall has gone up, guns are aimed and ready upon both sides, and the two super-powers of the world have their finger on the trigger of atomic bombs.
But although the setting is ripe for friction, the plot and characterisation is lacking in depth and quality. The plot – simple enough – is filled out with banal visits to, what can be considered for the time, strange and exotic locations. Our un-named hero may not be as dull and unconvincing as James Bond, but there remains a certain finality as to how the story will end. Deighton does not fall into the trap of depicting caricature “bad-guys”; but also fails in providing us with a threat of terror.
Rather than allowing these characters to breathe and speak for themselves, Deighton fills in the character for the reader, repeatedly telling us their habits and mindset. The single chapter headings on each of the main characters initially appears a breath of fresh air within pace of action, but most of it is un-necessary and ultimately detracts from the mysteriousness of the plot itself.
Furthermore, the book becomes steeped in Cold War terminology; Deighton even provides a glossary of terms, from poisonous insecticides to Soviet security systems – again, disrupting the flow of the plot. But this is the lesser crime of the novel’s failings; this is a spy novel, and by default the spy-fan must be given a real, authentic taste of the theme.
Funeral In Berlin remains a big hit with readers; for the Worm it was a poor re-introduction back into Deighton’s back catalogue of fiction. It is a case of twice bitten; but the Worm will be back. Cold War fiction is a dense jungle, and much of it remains to be explored.
