The Quiet American (1955) by Graham Greene

A lot is said about the prescience of this novel regarding its analysis of 20th century Vietnam, Western colonialism, and the spread of Communism, but I found it most enticing just as a piece of character-driven fiction. This is my first exposure to Greene (at least, in the written form—I have seen the film The Third Man, which was penned by him), and it left me quite moved. He's a talented writer and shows his chops constantly through The Quiet American, able to make even the most mundane details shine brilliantly and the more noteworthy ones singularly affecting.

The story was at its best, in my opinion, when allowing the two main characters play off one another. Pyle and Fowler are magnificent foils for each other and I enjoyed watching them spar, though I didn't particularly like either one. Fowler is at least honest with his cynical moral laziness, while Pyle—the stereotypical American, even today—revels in his misguided, naive heroism, as if he were the star of his own Hollywood film. Frequently I detested both of them.

No matter how prettily Greene was able to present Fowler's (and perhaps his own) inner thoughts to us with his prose, I couldn't shake the discomfort one feels when at a small gathering with a group of people you dislike, but are forced together with by social responsibility; like a family party with distant relatives you'd rather not (and normally would never) associate with. Greene's lovely writing and interesting characters kept me reading, but I can't say I was enjoying myself all too often as it's far from a happy story.

Though Pyle and Fowler are interesting, fully-formed characters, I was dismayed that Phuong wasn't given more screen time. Almost all we know of her comes from Fowler's thoughts, since she is overly reserved for the vast majority of the story. I found her way of life fascinating on the surface, and her quiet strength intriguing, and would have liked to have seen more of her.

With American, Greene has managed to produce something that is simultaneously a quick and easy read, while also dense with solid characterization and the exploration of contemporary sociopolitical ideas. It's made me a fan of Greene, and I look forward to exploring more of his work soon, but first I've got to shower off with Siddhartha, Anne of Green Gables, or something similarly toned to heighten my mood.

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