The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1963 Cold War spy novel, written by the British author John le Carré. It is about a man named Alec Leamas, a British agent, being sent to Eastern Germany as a fake defector to sow disinformation about a powerful East German intelligence officer. The subgenre of the novel itself, I would say, is a thriller. It takes no time at all to find yourself on the edge of your seat reading this. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they portray, giving the reader feelings of suspense, surprise, excitement, and anxiety; which this novel did. Thrillers usually keep the audience on “tip” as the plot continues to build up. They usually contain literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers. …show more content…
The dangerous effort that makes up the principal of spying is shown in exquisite and elaborative detail. With the freezing rain hammering down on the lonely streets of Berlin, Charlie seems to barely have anything to say. Yet, this image of the Cold War signifies hope to those troubled in the east land and, equally, the spiteful company of communism in the west land. In this particular area sits Alec Leamas, a British agent anticipating for the betrayal of his spies. A man in question is set across the London border and looks to make his getaway when, suddenly, he is slowed down in a burst of gunfire. Leamas is withdrawn to London by his boss, guessing to get fire. Instead, his boss decided to not fire Leamas, and to keep him "out in the cold" a little while longer. But meanwhile, Leamas is soon to be looking for work and happens to end up with a boring librarian job. With only one friend for company, Leamas states in his own thoughts, letting hatred and bitterness build up against the British Secret Service. To the reader, nothing seems to be able to penetrate his shell, although his co-worker, Elizabeth Gold, seems to gain a liking to him. Sadly, Leamas ends up assaulting an owner of a shop, and ends up receiving jail