My Cultural Diet

Although Shane Collins is a spy, he’s no James Bond. True, he enjoys drinking and is something of a womanizer, but his years as a spook have left him tired, cynical, and on the verge of cirrhosis. His only goal is to survive his current posting in Bahrain and retire to Florida on a government pension. That all changes, however, when he becomes fixated on a woman named Almaisa — an infatuation that could jeopardize his final mission. Based on the publisher’s copy, you might assume that The Peacock and the Sparrow is the simple story of a world-weary spy’s last grasp at love and redemption. Let me assure you, however, that there’s nothing simple about I.S. Berry’s debut novel, with its shadowy deals, government bureaucracies, and morally vague protagonist. Berry was a CIA agent in Baghdad for several years, which imbues her Arab Spring-set story with no small amount of verisimilitude. Just don’t expect the usual espionage fare; although there’s some globe-trotting, Berry’s novel contains no fancy gadgets or thrilling action sequences. Rather, The Peacock and the Sparrow is more a compelling character study about the many ways the spy trade, with its necessary deceptions and manipulations, can eat away at one’s soul.

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