It’s a big, deeply humane political thriller that proves the flame of Graham Greene and John le Carré is still burning ... If there’s any flaw in “Devil Makes Three,” it stems, I suspect, from Fountain’s fundamental decency, a generosity of spirit that limits, in some detrimental way, the moral spectrum of his novel. Yes, horrific things happen in Devil Makes Three — plenty of them — but they’re prosecuted offstage, in the dark, by shadowy figures. To realize the full potential of a story this ambitious, the author needs to stare straight into the eyes of that third figure, that devil ... Still, this is a novel of ideas in the best sense. Fountain’s trenchant analysis of the geopolitical situation is not only subordinated to an intricate plot, it’s deeply embedded in the conflicted minds of these characters, who know and love this besieged place. Nothing here captures the country’s dire plight and indomitable spirit.
Engrossing, psychologically complex and politically astute ... Fountain makes Audrey entirely credible and fully human ... Fountain excels at writing macho dominance games masquerading as conversation, as well as lengthy exchanges of information that seem like talk rather than lectures or sermons. He can construct affecting scenes ... Not only a skillful author, but a brave one, Fountain is drawn to difficult subjects ... Some readers might think: The last thing I need right now is a novel about a crisis that has worsened over time in one of the world’s poorest nations. I understand the sentiment, but I was grateful for the old-fashioned pleasure of immersion in a long book with engaging characters, a sense of history and place, and a multifaceted vision of people trying to figure out what to do when the world around them is changing.
[A] sprawling and sardonic work of geopolitical intrigue ... A fascinating, extremely talky book, whose thrills are layered with dry spells of information overload.
Fountain’s authorial voice has an irresistible, unfussy confidence that carries the novel a great distance. But eventually the enviable sang-froid of his style staggers under the info dumps it is asked to deliver. Earnest American readers have a fondness for learning about other countries and cultures through fiction...but the exposition must be carefully balanced with relatable human drama ... Detailed descriptions of diving procedures—the kind of stuff that manly 20th-century novelists used to display their real-world know-how—compound this problem, forcing the reader to slog through sentences.
This sweeping, bracing, and sobering exploration of the troubled island nation’s perennial, heartbreaking turmoil and geopolitical complications is topical yet timeless, elaborate and nuanced, laden with political intrigue and immersed in cultural rituals.
Not quite a thriller about treasure-seeking nor a study of spycraft nor realist historical fiction, the book displays Fountain’s smarts but also meanders and lectures. A fine-grained, if at times overly upholstered tale of humanitarian and political tragedy.
