What do you think?
Rate this book
Under a False Flag
October, 1972. Will Porter joins the CIA's secret war against Chile's Marxist president, Salvador Allende. Working under cover, Will's job is to manage the dirty money flowing to the opposition. As protests, general strikes and paramilitary terrorism bring Chile to the brink of civil war, Will learns just how far the CIA will go to achieve its objective.
A budding friendship with a university student and his beautiful sister complicates Will's job and threatens to blow his cover. In a turbulent world of deceivers and deceived, Will must choose between friendship and betrayal, truth and lies, love and duty.
Based on historical events, this compelling novel brings to life a tragic moment that changed the course of a nation. "It is not a part of American history that we are proud of," said Secretary of State Colin Powell.
A budding friendship with a university student and his beautiful sister complicates Will's job and threatens to blow his cover. In a turbulent world of deceivers and deceived, Will must choose between friendship and betrayal, truth and lies, love and duty.
Based on historical events, this compelling novel brings to life a tragic moment that changed the course of a nation. "It is not a part of American history that we are proud of," said Secretary of State Colin Powell.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
324 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2012
3 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Tom Gething
2 books48 followersTom Gething received a B.A. in English literature from the University of Arizona and an M.B.A. from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He spent a career in international business before pursuing fiction writing in earnest. His stories have appeared in The Soundings Review, The Barcelona Review, and other publications. Under a False Flag is his first novel. Though primarily based on historical research, it builds on his experience living, working and traveling in Latin America.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Read
September 29, 2016My interest in Chile began in the summer of 1973 when I met a girl from Chillán who was an AFS exchange student. She told me how she arrived in the United States the year before with almost no money: Chile's foreign exchange restrictions prevented a 16-year-old traveling overseas alone to take with her more than $25. Imagine that! Shortly after we met, the Tancazo (the failed putsch of June) took place, and only a few days later she returned home to a country that was about to change forever.
This is my first novel. Whenever I look at it I see things I might have done better. Nevertheless, I think it’s a good story overall, and so far readers seem to agree. I hope you’ll give it a try.
This is my first novel. Whenever I look at it I see things I might have done better. Nevertheless, I think it’s a good story overall, and so far readers seem to agree. I hope you’ll give it a try.
August 17, 2012
Under a False Flag by Tom Gething is a spy novel, but don't expect James Bond. The protagonist, Will Porter, is a working man's spy. He is a young man enamored with the idea of serving his country by joining the potentially glamorous world of the CIA. But life is not a roller coaster of thrills for the young spy…not until he is caught up in the 1973 U.S. backed overthrow of Chilean president, Salvador Allende. As the historical inevitability unfolds and spirals out of control, Will is torn between his friendship for a suspected Communist sympathizer and his beautiful sister and duty to a home country he no longer fully trusts.
Gething's research is meticulous. His ability to weave fact with fiction creates a completely believable world peopled by historical figures and fictional characters. It is often difficult to tell the fact from fabrication. His writing is reminiscent of John Le Carre .
Although not relevant to the Chilean coup, Gething describes a scene in which young, U.S. men sit together and watch the Vietnam draft lottery on television, an event that many of us remember all too well. This Shirley Jacksonesque vignette paints beautifully the angst and anger of the early seventies.
Under a False Flag is historical fiction at its best.
Gething's research is meticulous. His ability to weave fact with fiction creates a completely believable world peopled by historical figures and fictional characters. It is often difficult to tell the fact from fabrication. His writing is reminiscent of John Le Carre .
Although not relevant to the Chilean coup, Gething describes a scene in which young, U.S. men sit together and watch the Vietnam draft lottery on television, an event that many of us remember all too well. This Shirley Jacksonesque vignette paints beautifully the angst and anger of the early seventies.
Under a False Flag is historical fiction at its best.
June 11, 2012
2012. A gripping story of a rookie spy who played the role but never bought in with his soul.
Caught in the turmoil of the 1972 Chilean revolution, young and earnest Will Porter learns his trade by living and working undercover. He inserts himself into the community, makes friends, and even falls for a local girl. But his life is a lie, and to perform to his boss's satisfaction, and to the ever-shifting commands from a Washington DC in Nixonian political turmoil, Will struggles to reconcile the demands of his job and his country with his needs as a young man in search of friendship and love.
Tom Gething has written an engaging story about the sorts of struggles all of us experience, albeit in far less stressful situations, as we balance our work with our family and personal lives.
Gething has obviously read widely from the newly declassified documents from this sordid chapter in American diplomacy. He balances fact and fiction to examine the human cost of patriotism, of career ambition, and of soulful integrity.
Caught in the turmoil of the 1972 Chilean revolution, young and earnest Will Porter learns his trade by living and working undercover. He inserts himself into the community, makes friends, and even falls for a local girl. But his life is a lie, and to perform to his boss's satisfaction, and to the ever-shifting commands from a Washington DC in Nixonian political turmoil, Will struggles to reconcile the demands of his job and his country with his needs as a young man in search of friendship and love.
Tom Gething has written an engaging story about the sorts of struggles all of us experience, albeit in far less stressful situations, as we balance our work with our family and personal lives.
Gething has obviously read widely from the newly declassified documents from this sordid chapter in American diplomacy. He balances fact and fiction to examine the human cost of patriotism, of career ambition, and of soulful integrity.
August 21, 2012
I received this book as part of the Goodreads first reads giveaway. I enjoyed this book for it's realism and how it gives a personal insight into the life of a CIA operative during the early 1970's. In the end what I liked about the book overall is the cause and effect that different characters had with each other and also how the actions you take can have unforeseen consequences.
October 4, 2012
First, a disclosure: I know the author, Tom Gething. Now I'm an honorable person (take it from me) so knowing an author wouldn't cause me to lie and say I liked a book that I didn't. However, it would cause me to pick up a book I might not otherwise read. In this case, I'm very glad to know Tom, because, if not for that, I might have missed this little gem altogether. And that would be sad.
.
I'll skip the plot summary and use the space to explain why I think people should be reading this book. A couple of reasons, actually. The first is because it's just a damn good story. Like all good stories, this one's wrapped around a love affair. Who doesn't like to read about love, right? By the end of the book, I was getting pretty wrapped up in the characters, and part of me really wanted everyone to have a happy ending. And yet, at the same time, I realized that it probably wasn't going to play out that way, and that was ok, too, because if it had it would've been a cop-out on Gething's part. Cuz let's face it: The Chilean coup was not a happily-ever-after kind of deal. So I guess the conclusion here is that Gething can write tragedy as well as romance.
.
And speaking of tragedy, I happen to know a bit about the recent history of Chile myself, and that gave me a deeper appreciation of the book than I otherwise would've had. In fact, I would recommend that anyone considering reading the book take maybe an hour and read up on 1970s-era Chile, followed perhaps by a general review of Cold War history. Of course you don't HAVE to know the history to enjoy the story, but, like I said, it helps. You know, in thinking about this, I have to say that Gething set himself a pretty high bar with this novel – especially when you consider that it's his first. If he'd written the same kind of story in some better known theater of the Cold War (say, Berlin or Vietnam) it would've been much safer, because then he would've drawn in more readers from the get-go, since those are household names. Beyond that, an author setting his story in one of those kinds of venues doesn't have to spend nearly as much time on "exposition." Someone writing a story set in Vietnam can rely on popular culture to do a lot of the scene setting for him, whereas an author writing about Chile must use pages just to fill in important background information. Fortunately, Gething makes the best of the situation. As you read the book, pay attention to the deft way in which he brings in the historical details. Notice how he discusses the politics of the various actors, for example, and how seamlessly weaves essential people and places into the fabric of the story. Brilliant! Unlike some historical fiction, with "False Flag" I never felt like I was being surreptitiously forced to learn something. Whenever a name or date was mentioned, whenever a philosophy was expounded, it came across as a perfectly natural part of the dialog. I especially appreciated how Gething worked the plot to expose the broader context in which the characters were moving, and how he jumped back and forth between scenes in the US and in Chile, all without befuddling me. (Another reviewer here mentioned how he had clicked with the section on the American draft lottery of the early 1970s. He said it resonated with some of his own memories of that time and place.)
.
In any case, there's only so much exposition you can do in a novel – no matter how skillfully you do it – and fortunately Gething decided not to push his luck. In any case, it would still help to bone up a little before you dig in.
.
Finally, I'd like to talk about how Gething uses metaphor. One of the reviewers here suggested Graham Greene as a companion read, and I think that's apt. I would go further and recommend you to read "The Quiet American" for in some ways the protagonists are quite similar. Just as Thomas Fowler's personal crisis is a metaphor for the crisis of a nation, Will's experience in "False Flag" is really that of his countrymen. Will's personal disgust with his role in the coup is a metaphor for the shock we have all felt at one time or another, as we struggle to reconcile the beautiful world of our intentions with the nightmarish reality of our acts. I'm talking about American foreign policy here, folks, and the awful toll it sometimes exacts from people on both sides of the line
.
And yet . . . as we know, things are never quite as simple as good and evil. In the months and years before the coup, Chile was abuzz with talk of freedom. Yet freedom is a complex, many-faceted thing, is it not? Freedom in the mouth of radical student may be a very different thing than freedom in the mouth of a parent. Or a businessperson. Or a truck driver. Or a president. Gething gets this, and that's why he's teased out the characters' motivations in the subtle way he did. It would've been too easy, I think, for him to use one of the characters to deliver some sermon on what "should" have happened. Rather than doing that, rather than putting words in his characters' mouths, Gething lets them speak for themselves. And he lets them speak in the real context of the moment. The result is a much more nuanced – and much more interesting – picture of the Chilean revolution.
.
But I blather on.
.
Please read this book and get back to me here on GoodReads. Tell me whether you liked it more for the romance or more for the history. Or tell me that you didn't like if that's "more true." I'm betting it won't be though.
.
Just . . . read the book already, will ya?
.
I'll skip the plot summary and use the space to explain why I think people should be reading this book. A couple of reasons, actually. The first is because it's just a damn good story. Like all good stories, this one's wrapped around a love affair. Who doesn't like to read about love, right? By the end of the book, I was getting pretty wrapped up in the characters, and part of me really wanted everyone to have a happy ending. And yet, at the same time, I realized that it probably wasn't going to play out that way, and that was ok, too, because if it had it would've been a cop-out on Gething's part. Cuz let's face it: The Chilean coup was not a happily-ever-after kind of deal. So I guess the conclusion here is that Gething can write tragedy as well as romance.
.
And speaking of tragedy, I happen to know a bit about the recent history of Chile myself, and that gave me a deeper appreciation of the book than I otherwise would've had. In fact, I would recommend that anyone considering reading the book take maybe an hour and read up on 1970s-era Chile, followed perhaps by a general review of Cold War history. Of course you don't HAVE to know the history to enjoy the story, but, like I said, it helps. You know, in thinking about this, I have to say that Gething set himself a pretty high bar with this novel – especially when you consider that it's his first. If he'd written the same kind of story in some better known theater of the Cold War (say, Berlin or Vietnam) it would've been much safer, because then he would've drawn in more readers from the get-go, since those are household names. Beyond that, an author setting his story in one of those kinds of venues doesn't have to spend nearly as much time on "exposition." Someone writing a story set in Vietnam can rely on popular culture to do a lot of the scene setting for him, whereas an author writing about Chile must use pages just to fill in important background information. Fortunately, Gething makes the best of the situation. As you read the book, pay attention to the deft way in which he brings in the historical details. Notice how he discusses the politics of the various actors, for example, and how seamlessly weaves essential people and places into the fabric of the story. Brilliant! Unlike some historical fiction, with "False Flag" I never felt like I was being surreptitiously forced to learn something. Whenever a name or date was mentioned, whenever a philosophy was expounded, it came across as a perfectly natural part of the dialog. I especially appreciated how Gething worked the plot to expose the broader context in which the characters were moving, and how he jumped back and forth between scenes in the US and in Chile, all without befuddling me. (Another reviewer here mentioned how he had clicked with the section on the American draft lottery of the early 1970s. He said it resonated with some of his own memories of that time and place.)
.
In any case, there's only so much exposition you can do in a novel – no matter how skillfully you do it – and fortunately Gething decided not to push his luck. In any case, it would still help to bone up a little before you dig in.
.
Finally, I'd like to talk about how Gething uses metaphor. One of the reviewers here suggested Graham Greene as a companion read, and I think that's apt. I would go further and recommend you to read "The Quiet American" for in some ways the protagonists are quite similar. Just as Thomas Fowler's personal crisis is a metaphor for the crisis of a nation, Will's experience in "False Flag" is really that of his countrymen. Will's personal disgust with his role in the coup is a metaphor for the shock we have all felt at one time or another, as we struggle to reconcile the beautiful world of our intentions with the nightmarish reality of our acts. I'm talking about American foreign policy here, folks, and the awful toll it sometimes exacts from people on both sides of the line
.
And yet . . . as we know, things are never quite as simple as good and evil. In the months and years before the coup, Chile was abuzz with talk of freedom. Yet freedom is a complex, many-faceted thing, is it not? Freedom in the mouth of radical student may be a very different thing than freedom in the mouth of a parent. Or a businessperson. Or a truck driver. Or a president. Gething gets this, and that's why he's teased out the characters' motivations in the subtle way he did. It would've been too easy, I think, for him to use one of the characters to deliver some sermon on what "should" have happened. Rather than doing that, rather than putting words in his characters' mouths, Gething lets them speak for themselves. And he lets them speak in the real context of the moment. The result is a much more nuanced – and much more interesting – picture of the Chilean revolution.
.
But I blather on.
.
Please read this book and get back to me here on GoodReads. Tell me whether you liked it more for the romance or more for the history. Or tell me that you didn't like if that's "more true." I'm betting it won't be though.
.
Just . . . read the book already, will ya?
December 2, 2014
Wow, how refreshing! Historical fiction done right.
Gething knows how to throw the reader into another time and place like a natural. For those who think historical fiction is a snooze, this is a prime example of creating a piece of work that both pays tribute to an important historical moment and easily entertains the reader from start to finish.
In Under a False Flag, we're thrown back to Chile in 1972.
A rookie CIA agent, Will Porter, is our main character. His romanticism for serving his country in a foreign land is quickly shattered as he becomes a key player in the US backed overthrow of Chilean president, Salvador Allende, and watches the turmoil of Chile unfold before his eyes.
A fantastic romance blossoms between Will and Gabriela, driving home the battle of love versus duty. Through deceit and destruction, the reader whips through the pages never knowing what will happen or if hope will survive.
Best book I've read in a while. Read it!
Britt Skrabanek
http://brittskrabanek.com
Gething knows how to throw the reader into another time and place like a natural. For those who think historical fiction is a snooze, this is a prime example of creating a piece of work that both pays tribute to an important historical moment and easily entertains the reader from start to finish.
In Under a False Flag, we're thrown back to Chile in 1972.
A rookie CIA agent, Will Porter, is our main character. His romanticism for serving his country in a foreign land is quickly shattered as he becomes a key player in the US backed overthrow of Chilean president, Salvador Allende, and watches the turmoil of Chile unfold before his eyes.
A fantastic romance blossoms between Will and Gabriela, driving home the battle of love versus duty. Through deceit and destruction, the reader whips through the pages never knowing what will happen or if hope will survive.
Best book I've read in a while. Read it!
Britt Skrabanek
http://brittskrabanek.com
October 1, 2014
Under a False Flag is an amazing first novel by Tom Gething, whose wonderful blog posts (at http://tomgething.wordpress.com) led me to this novel. It brilliantly delves into the character of a young CIA operative who is posted in Chile and participates in his own small way to engineer the overthrow of the Allende regime. Tom Gething's writing is as easy to read as it is nuanced.
Highly recommended for for anyone seeking to read historical fiction, or understand the US foreign policy and the workings of the CIA. I just finished reading it, and easily rate it as one of the better novels I have come across recently.
Highly recommended for for anyone seeking to read historical fiction, or understand the US foreign policy and the workings of the CIA. I just finished reading it, and easily rate it as one of the better novels I have come across recently.
February 3, 2014
Excellent story line; fluid and believable. When will this become a movie? This book is moving around work and getting rave reviews: "couldn't put it down" - "extensive research that allowed the reader to stay enthralled until the end" -" wow,the ending took me by surprise" - "the historical events that took place perfectly blended with the storyline"
September 22, 2012
I loved this book. Tom Gething is a natural storyteller. This period in Chile's history came alive so vividly and I fell in love with the characters who were real. Bravo!
April 1, 2023
A historical fiction about the CIA overthrow of former Chilean President Allende from the perspective of an American undercover CIA agent working in Santiago which concludes with the violent events of September 11, 1973.
A very articulate and illuminating work which helps contextualize the effects of the Washington Consensus, the rise of neoliberalism, and the correlated political and economic crises in Chile. Though somewhat difficult to follow at times, I greatly appreciated the commitment to historical accuracy while infusing the quasi-fictional motivations of Will, Roland, Gabriela, and Ernesto which further aided to humanize all perspectives of the turmoil. I especially appreciated Gething’s attention to illuminating the destruction of cultural patrimony that unfolded alongside the political and economic overthrow. On a non serious note, the plot twist at the end was incredible — didn’t predict at all and was very vindicating as the reader. Overall an important ode to the inhumanity and lives lost in the vain pursuit of a globalized capitalist state.
Fav quotes:
“This is why people become so excited when one of these persons comes along. He tickles them awake. His words are like a feather under the nose, and people either awaken laughing or very angry.”
“I can’t stand people who tell you who’s damned and who isn’t…Chile is full of arrogant assholes who tell you how to live. Priests. Politicians. As if they know better.”
“They want the good life but refuse to acknowledge the price. Don’t have a clue about the things we have to do. Like people who order their steaks rare but won’t go near a slaughterhouse. They should see the meat hanging in the markets here. Keep perspective.”
“‘There’s no such thing as objectivity,’ Ernesto said. ‘We’re all hostages of our time and place.’”
“Without a vocabulary we agree upon, there can be no truth. True and false are contingent upon agreement. Change the meaning of words, and the truth changes too.”
“‘Ironic, isn’t it,’ Ernesto said after calming himself. ‘My own country has become safer for you than for me.’”
A very articulate and illuminating work which helps contextualize the effects of the Washington Consensus, the rise of neoliberalism, and the correlated political and economic crises in Chile. Though somewhat difficult to follow at times, I greatly appreciated the commitment to historical accuracy while infusing the quasi-fictional motivations of Will, Roland, Gabriela, and Ernesto which further aided to humanize all perspectives of the turmoil. I especially appreciated Gething’s attention to illuminating the destruction of cultural patrimony that unfolded alongside the political and economic overthrow. On a non serious note, the plot twist at the end was incredible — didn’t predict at all and was very vindicating as the reader. Overall an important ode to the inhumanity and lives lost in the vain pursuit of a globalized capitalist state.
Fav quotes:
“This is why people become so excited when one of these persons comes along. He tickles them awake. His words are like a feather under the nose, and people either awaken laughing or very angry.”
“I can’t stand people who tell you who’s damned and who isn’t…Chile is full of arrogant assholes who tell you how to live. Priests. Politicians. As if they know better.”
“They want the good life but refuse to acknowledge the price. Don’t have a clue about the things we have to do. Like people who order their steaks rare but won’t go near a slaughterhouse. They should see the meat hanging in the markets here. Keep perspective.”
“‘There’s no such thing as objectivity,’ Ernesto said. ‘We’re all hostages of our time and place.’”
“Without a vocabulary we agree upon, there can be no truth. True and false are contingent upon agreement. Change the meaning of words, and the truth changes too.”
“‘Ironic, isn’t it,’ Ernesto said after calming himself. ‘My own country has become safer for you than for me.’”
April 22, 2015
It was a compelling novel that showed how the U.S. took part in bringing about the 1973 coup in Chile against their Marxist president Salvador Allende by following the under cover life of a false flag CIA operative.
April 17, 2018
I don't usually read thrillers, but I had to read this one based on the setting (Cold War Latin America is kind of my thing), and it turned out to be a good decision. Very fast-paced, historically accurate, easy to read, educational without being pedantic or preachy and about a very important subject that a lot of Americans don't know much about (and probably should know more about).
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews