The Consul's Wife

by W.T. Tyler

A novel of Cold War geopolitics and romance that recalls the work of Graham Greene and John LeCarre+a7 involves a young foreign service officer stationed in Africa who must grapple with inept Western bureaucrats and feuding tribes.

Genres: Africa

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of former spooks have become fiction writers, from the great (le Carré) to the good (Jason Matthews) to the generic (Valeria Plame); however, there aren't nearly as many books written by former diplomats — and now I know why: no car chases, no explosions, no Jason Bourne rolled-up magazine fights.

But despite — or perhaps in fact because of — all that, I found this a fascinating story, focusing on the life of a frustrated State Dept. staffer initially working in the Congo (and then an unnamed East African country) before returning to DC and even greater frustration at Foggy Bottom. The author's descriptions of insular embassy life and overall clueless American diplomacy — both at home and abroad — were generally spot on (at least in my brief dip experience), and it's always fun to read books at least partially set in Washington and Northern Virginia, where I currently live. And yes, there is romance here, although it was a thankfully smaller part of the story than I'd feared, making me wonder if the title was actually a publishing decision aimed at placing this alongside such other books as The English Patient or The Painted Veil in order to attract at least some female readers.

Tyler's* descriptions of Africa (both the place and its people) are sympathetic, knowledgeable and sharply drawn; and his writing style is literary and nuanced — more along the lines of Graham Greene or le Carré than such "blockbuster" contemporaries as Tom Clancy or Brad Thor. And sadly, that probably explains his relative obscurity, at least here on GR. But I will definitely start searching for him at our various used bookstores.
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* "W.T. Tyler" is the pen name of Samuel Hamrick, a career diplomat who served in Lebanon, Canada, the Congo, Ethiopia and Somalia from 1960 to 1980, when he turned to writing full-time. I'd never heard of him before, but it turns out his son Hugh is the partner of David Sedaris, whose Happy-Go-Lucky I just finished, and who frequently refers to both Hamricks in his writing as well as Hugh's wide-flung upbringing.

[Corey Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strikingly good read detailing the follies of man and his government

[Susan Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a very interesting book, not because of the underlying love story but the description of tired, disengaged foreign service officers. To most of the characters in this story, the goal was to mix with the natives as little as possible and avoid doing anything much to promote the country’s success or American interests. Instead they wanted to play tennis and have cocktails.

The protagonist did not fit the mold and was mostly discounted by the other career officers. How that played out and his bond with the one other person like him was the interesting part.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hugh Mathews is a political officer assigned to the U.S. embassy in Congo. Given a desk job, he lobbies for, and is granted a chance to travel and report on the distant villages. Blakey Ogden is the wife of the embassy consular officer. She and Hugh begin seeing each other. How will it all play out?
I don't know how accurate a portrait of Foreign Service life this is. I expected something different, I think. Perhaps I mis-read the blurb.

[Translator Monkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like subtle Greene, but even subtler. Very nice.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

The descriptions of Africa, examination of a faith in sorcery, the rich culture coming to grips with the influence of the west, the clueless diplomats. All broad important historical themes, but what drives the narrator is his love for - you guessed it - the Consul's wife. That's the way people are. Big important things happen all around you, but the girl/guy in the next cubicle is all you can think of. The romance-obsession helps add some spice to the story, which might be dry if concerned only with the bigger themes. What I like best is the narrator's voice, which I identified with. Thinking about it, that's common to all books that I really like. Probably true for most readers and why someone who doesn't identify might dislike a book others love...

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

not sure where i heard about this book..might have browsing at b&n and it looked interesting. a novel about state dept person who gets posted in the congo then has an affair with higher up officials beautiful wifw...could have done a lot more with this...a light read maybe not supposed to do much with the story..keep it in the beach read section.. he may have other books that are better..i like the international travel aspect

[Vera Zdravkova · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is told from the perspective of an entry-level foreign service officer who, in the 1970s, grapples with many of the issues and frustrations junior diplomats encounter today. Despite the fact that the author is not a professional writer and the prose leaves something to be desired, I found the book to be an enjoyable and worthwhile read, peppered with powerful imagery and astute observations.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. I enjoyed Matthews and his insights into the Congo, and African society. It is a country I am fascianted with and horrified by at times. But Tyler makes the characters alive and interesting. The romance of the book almost seemed secondary to me other than how it changed Matthews perceptions and so on.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

africa seen by a mid level diplomat as he encounters witch doctors and another diplomat's wife.... interesting but not captivating.