Stephen
Donaldson, a single well-educated young man, was recruited for the Institute
after completing his studies at Oxford. The aim and tasks of his employer
remained rather unclear and so he finds himself listening to audio tapes and
scanning them for hints of communist and revolutionary plans. Day by day he gets
more familiar with the individuals he observes, he feels like being part of
their family since he gets to hear every word spoken at their homes. The target
PHOENIX becomes especially interesting when Stephen kind of falls in love with
Helen who seems to be lonely and disconnected from her husband.
Sending the
reader back into the beginning of the 1980s with the cold war at a critical
point, Francesca Kay provides us with a glance through the keyhole of espionage
and state intervention. Yet, it is less the political implication that comes
into the focus but the very private lives of the targets which are portrayed
via the tapes and which do not hide anything. Not just Stephen is very
carefully drawn and quite authentic in his thoughts and manner, but also the
persons observed and it is the details, e.g. the Christmas presents Stephen
offers to one of his colleagues, which show an incredible capacity of close observation
of the human being. Apart from this, the atmosphere at the time, the fear of
IRA bombs or even a 3rd World War, is exceptionally well translated
into the text.
