Corinne Souza

This is a wry look at Iraq at a time when “Persia” slipped from history into myth and real-politik asserted itself, ushering the crueller nation state of Iraq. I’m not sure if the book is a thriller or travelogue – sometimes it seems to me it tries too hard to both at the detriment to the other tale, primarily the spy-side. It is also burdened with the legacy of the great powers lingering over the diminishment of romantic and poetic Iraq. I am convinced the author loves Iraq, knows Iraq and knows the real Iraqis; not the fodder of febrile hack journalism but the peoples fabled for their literacy, poetry, hospitality and beauteous countryside from soaring Kurdish mountains to verdant river banks and the dry and dusty beyond. I genuinely liked this book but I felt the author tried to hard. There was something contrived in the writing; it was as if she wrote if form the heart on the first cut but on the revisit she edited it too hard into what, I don’t know, another admired author’s style perhaps, a harkening back to an older form? I feel elements of poetic expression suddenly constrained, as if the author couldn’t or wouldn’t give full voice? For all of that I am envious of her skills and would love to write even half as well. If this book is merely a stepping stone to greater works then I look forward with pleasure to the next one. I enjoyed the characterisations, particularly the faceted Stollen.

All told a good book but not a great book, an author with more than buckets of talent but with much more to offer.… (mais)

Spanning 40 years and showing how three families become entwined in international politics and espionage, this debut novel is brimful of characters and historical detail. If anything, there is perhaps a little too much crammed in. Initially, I found it a difficult book to settle into but it developed into a fairly pacey read. Unfortunately its sheer breadth of scope and myriad plot intricacies meant that some of the characters were not fully developed. This didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book on the thriller level but there was a lost opportunity to write a novel that made better use of the author’s knowledge of the world she depicts. The morality of recruiting children into the murky world of espionage is a wonderful central theme for a book and it was a shame that this wasn’t explored at a deeper level.… (mais)

Corinne Souza's first novel starts in London in 2002 and then leaps back to Iraq in the 60's ... the prologue introduces you to a vast cast of characters but the pace of the novel means we do get to know the main protagonists very quickly.
The book is a politcal and historical exploration of espionage that is obviously bolstered by her understanding of politics and Middle East/Western spy culture; it is plot driven with some intriguing twists and turns.
I found myself wondering how true to real events might this be - the world of political intrigue is portrayed as murky, cut throat, and decidedly unpleasant. This is an enjoyable read but the characters are not fleshed out in depth - I can understand the reasoning as more focus on the huge cast may well have slowed down the story telling but feel some of the characters were a little too stereo-typed.
If you have any interest in recent world events or just enjoy intriguing contemporary thrillers then there is much to enjoy in reading this book.… (mais)

This is the first fiction novel by Corinne Souza, & my first Early Reviewer.
I found it pretty hard going to start with, so many characters!. I'm glad I persevered through the first few chapters. The story is set in Baghdad & London. As the novel opened up, it became a very intriguing story, with many twists & turns, spanning nearly 40 years. At times it got a little confusing as to who was lying to whom, but on the whole a good read.
Looking forward to the next Corinne Souza novel.… (mais)