This week's book, The Third Man by Graham Greene, is set in post war Vienna, Austria in the 1940s. In doing some research about this book, I learned that the evolution of the presentation of this story was somewhat unusual, in that the famous noir film of this same title was based on a screenplay written by British novelist, Greene. After the release of the movie, Greene published the story in novel format (which I understand is how he first wrote the story, himself). The novel is the option I chose and am reviewing here. I would be very interested, however, in watching the film at some point as well, as it seems very highly regarded around the world.
In this story, confusion and intrigue set the foundation. Rollo Martins, a writer of low-brow westerns, travels to Vienna to visit his high school friend, Harry Lime. Upon arrival, he is shocked to learn from a neighbor of his friend that Lime was just killed in a car accident, and that Martins is missing his funeral at that very moment. In asking a few questions of those who were present at and just after the accident, Martins soon begins suspecting foul play. Digging deeper and deeper, Martins finds himself at the center of an investigation with a wild cast of characters. Vienna serves not just as the setting but as a star of this story, and we learn all about how the city was divided at that time into four zones - Russia; USA; France; and the UK; as well as a neutral zone that was patrolled on a rotation by officers (and laws!) from each of the four countries.
All is never quite as it seems, and like a good mystery, it is not clear who is telling the truth until the end. Also like a good mystery, there is a great twist as the story wraps up.
I recommend this quick, fun read that transports us, not to modern day Austria, but to a recent Austria of 70 years ago, emerging from a difficult time, working to find its footing once again.
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