Just finished spy thriller Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva. It has the usual disclaimers that names and places in the book are fictional and yet you hang on to the shreds of authenticity that it all could have happened pretty much the way it was narrated. It was written years after the very real tragedy of 9/11 and just prior to the killing of Osama bin Laden by Navy Seals in Abbottabad. Silva concedes:
in creating the character of Rashid al-Husseinai, I have borrowed much from the curriculum vitae of the American-born al-Quaeda cleric and recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki –including his Yemeni background, his disturbing connection to two of the 9/11 hijackers in San Diego and Northern Virginia, and his apparent journey from moderation to radicalism and terror. The fictitious Malik al-Zubair was also inspired by real terror masterminds . . .(Spy, 450)
The novel hinges on a plot to attract and ensnare those responsible for bombings in Copenhagen, London and Paris that take place in the early chapters. The bold plan depends on an Arab heiress, believed by some to be a financier of terror, but who, in fact is supporting feminist and liberal causes in secret. Her considerable wealth is employed to lure the terrorist leaders to a meeting and the plot thickens . . .
Major role players include Israeli intelligence, British MI5, and American CIA in order of respect the novel accords them. The protagonist is a retired Israeli operative and the MI5 and CIA are brought into the scheme as the plot unfolds. The CIA is portrayed as an over-funded and politicized enterprise with a giant operations room employing far too many people for covert operations. Our hero, the Israeli Gabriel Allon, manages to call a few shots, but the final operation becomes constrained by a treaty between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Daniel Silva is obviously disturbed by the actual sources of terrorist funding as a subplot and theme of his novel. In his Author’s Notes he adds after his disclaimers:
Regrettably, a decade after the attacks of 9/11, much of this money still comes from the citizens of Saudi Arabia and, to a lesser extent, the Sunni Muslim emirates of the Persian Gulf. In a secret cable made public in 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote: It has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority.” In conclusion Clinton’s memo declares, “donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.” (451)
The intriguing amalgamation of fiction and current events gives the novel Portrait of a Spy significance. The killing of a major character carries the weight of sacrifice. Was it a necessary sacrifice or was some bureaucratic or diplomatic detail at fault? What about the CIA, which had the fictional traitor Ellis Coyle operating right under its nose? Fictional details carry more than fictional significance.
The business and technique of artistic restoration contributes to the intrigue of novel. Silva describes an authentic and laborious process of restoring a fictional Titian masterpiece and brings it to Christie’s in London for an auction that will fund a terrorist network. The theme of restoration of human spies gives weight to the restoration of paintings. Silva’s spies show some fragility along with dauntless courage in the conduct of espionage.
My first Daniel Silva novel delivered some rare qualities that made me want to read more.
The usual deceptive temperament and courage of the characters; the usual high suspense in more than one place in the plot.
The unusual relevance to real world events, the subtextual critique of financing of terrorism, the understated political commentary, and the fragility we expect from human beings, even those trained in ruthlessness.
The unusual qualities make me a fan of spy novels- the ones that perform believable feats in realistic contexts with vulnerable characters.