I often run into a situation where I am about to go on a trip, so I’m loading up my Kindle but don’t know what to read that is available from the library and looks interesting at the moment. In this case, I asked my dad for suggestions and he mentioned a few things including the historical fiction author Robert Harris, who he has been a fan of for years. I decided to try his books and became hooked, drawn in by the subjects and the writing style.
The first of his books that I read was not one of his more popular ones, but was instead one about a subject I was familiar with. An Officer and a Spy, which centers around The Dreyfus Affair in 19th century France, focusing on Colonel Georges Piquart’s investigation. It has aspects of a mystery and reads like one, while still being primarily historically accurate.
This book served both as a really interesting and enjoyable read, as well as a good introduction into the general style of Harris and his books.
The next book of his that I read was Imperium, set in ancient Rome. It is written as a biography of a man making his way up in Roman politics, told by his secretary. Unlike An Officer and a Spy, this book is a work of fiction and, while accurate to the time period, does not center around real events. It is less mystery-esque than An Officer and a Spy, but still incredibly interesting.
I’m unsure which I preferred between these two, but if I were forced to choose I would likley say Imperium. Either way, both of these books were really interesting and enjoyable.
Unfortunately, that was less true for the most recent of his books I have read: Act of Oblivion. This one is set in the 1660s and has two parallel storylines. The first follows Edward Whalley (cousin of Oliver Cromwell) and his father-in-law William Geoffe who are being persecuted because they signed the death warrant for King Charles I. They are living in America and are on the run from Richard Nayler, who the second storyline centers around. This book is more similar to An Officer and a Spy, in that the characters were real people and it is centered around real events.
While this book was well written and is an interesting concept, it was significantly less engaging than the other two. I felt like I was spending a good amount of time waiting for things to happen, and, while I am generally fine with slower paced books, it did get boring at times. However, it wasn’t bad overall and I would struggle to name a single author who doesn’t have a mediocre book, even if it is on the high end of mediocre.
Overall, pretty good experience with these books and will certainly continue to read Harris’s books.
