The Most Difficult Thing by Charlotte PhilbyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
So much hype surrounds The Most Difficult Thing not the least being that the author, Charlotte Philby, is the granddaughter of Kim Philby, Britain's most famous communist double-agent, the elusive 'third man' in the notorious Cambridge spy ring.
Overall, I found this a confusing read and it took me a good while to finish, which means that it did not really live up to expectations. I found nothing to like about the protagonist Anna Witherall, a magazine editor, married to her university boyfriend and socialite David - she has a beautiful home and gorgeous three-year-old twin daughters, Stella and Rose. David is heir to his father's multi-billion dollar business TradeSmart, an operation that deals with toxic waste amongst other things, illegally disposing of the deadly chemical compound mercaptan. The companies' activities are being investigated by MI6...
Anna is hiding a dark secret, or so we are led to believe. I never found out exactly what that was. She finds herself drawn into the dark and highly controlled world of secret intelligence, forced to question her family's safety and her own. Someone she thought she could trust is determined to make TradeSmart pay.
For me, confusion reigned because of the leapfrogging backwards and forwards across a three-year timeline. I didn't know what or who to believe. And the so-called devastating last sentence? Just left me bemused and relieved to have finished this 424 page "spy novel".
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