Candi's Reviews > Our Man in Havana

"Patriotic Englishman. Been here for years. Respected member of the European Traders’ Association. We must have our man in Havana, you know. Submarines need fuel. Dictators drift together. Big ones draw in the little ones."

If there was an award for most unlikely to succeed as a spy, Englishman James Wormold would definitely be in the running! You see, he is a vacuum salesman, whose latest machine, the ‘Atomic Pile Cleaner’, is not selling well due to its unfortunate name. After all, this novel takes place in Cuba during the Cold War but prior to the Cuban missile crisis. With sales down and a beautiful and manipulative teenage daughter to maintain, Wormold is in need of some easy cash. When he is approached by British Intelligence agent Hawthorne to serve as an undercover agent within Cuba, he initially thinks there must be some mistake! What on earth could they want with an ordinary, humble man like himself to serve his home country?

"It always seemed strange to Wormold that he continued to exist for others when he was not there."

It seems Wormold has been given no choice in the matter, however. Hawthorne won’t take no for an answer. As well, his daughter Milly has just purchased a horse and along with a number of other expenses he is compelled to ‘accept’ the position. What follows is a hilarious story of a man who has bitten off more than he can chew! He has no idea what a spy should be doing, and so invents both subagents and reports of covert activities. A number of interesting characters share the stage with Wormold and offer up some entertaining dialogue as well. Before long, much to his dismay, his fiction is becoming alarmingly all too real!

"It astonished Wormold how quickly he could reply to any questions about his characters; they seemed to live on the threshold of consciousness—he had only to turn a light on and there they were, frozen in some characteristic action."

This little novel is highly entertaining. There is humor, adventure, and a little splash of romance. When Wormold’s life and the lives of those he cares about most are in danger, he must act and step up to the plate and play the role of unlikely hero. Does he succeed? Well, read this one and find out! This is my first Graham Greene book, and from what I understand a bit different from his more serious work. It’s a quick read that ought to please just about any reader.

"You should dream more, Mr. Wormold. Reality in our century is not something to be faced."