The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

The spy who came in from the cold does a few things very well.

It does not preach. Throughout the book, ideology is discussed. The ideology of socialism. The ideology of the secret services and their morality of the execution of their work. But it never preaches. It instead seems to form its own viewpoint, expressed by Leamas, that the main thing is that the executor won. As evidenced by Mundt's being the villain in the story, yet winning the most at the end.

It also has extremely little action. It is focused mostly on spying as 'performance'. Trying to extract information with less effort than a fist requires. Anyone can use a fist. But it is clumsy. The real trick, in the book, is to convince someone of one reality, use their assuredness to secure a second reality in another person, whilst keeping a third reality they're really working for away from them. And by God it was a good trick.

In that way, it is a real anti-Bond book. The sex wasn't emotionally avoidant. It was an emotional risk that nearly ruined his entire subterfuge. The violence barely mattered. The real trick was within the mind. The life wasn't glamorous, he had to play the part of a good agents descent into a penniless, mawkish drunk. The fact that the character that he plays is so base instils the story with a quiet dignity, you respect this man for doing something so difficult. For operating in a genuinely cut-throat world at enormous risk so competently. You know that it could be done, the description feels real. But you know you couldn't do it. You know how draining and difficult it would be. It has a realism that sucks you in more than Bond ever could.

What does the title mean? In the end? I think it has a double meaning. Leamas must come in from german spy activities, one reading. And then at the end he abandons the core truth of spying, that one must not only lie to others, but, to keep it all in his head, he must lie to himself. And so I think he 'comes in from the cold' in terms of finally abandoning the internal lie by the end. Even though it kills him.