The Tenth Man

Book Name : The Tenth Man

Author : Graham Greene

What is it about : In this novella set in WW II war-torn Paris , a middle-age lawyer signed away his complete fortune including the mansion he grew up in, in order to save his own life. All because our man Chavel drew the short straw which meant he would face the German firing squad at dawn; to avoid this rather unpleasant experience, Chavel signed a legally binding document to hand over all his assets to Janvier, who would take Chavel's place in the death squad line-up, with his family inheriting the mansion, stocks and all, after his death in the German's hands. With the war over, Chavel returned in disguise to his old mansion as a laborer to live amongst Janvier's family and even entertained the thought of marrying Janvier's sister. Things came to a boil when another prison survivor turned up at the mansion, claiming himself to be the real Chavel.

Some thoughts after having read the book : In this unlikely thriller, the plot twisted and turned and would have the readers holding on to the book until the end, the story would seem somewhat surprising and implausible but never mind. Readers should take note that the novella was set in an era of gentlemanly gaming and lady-like behaviour and not our nowadays, cynical grab-the-money-and-run ethics and shameless antics - so think of a good old black and white old-timer movie with the likes of Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, where men folks took their hats off in greetings and grunted "Mam" and ladies would make apple pies in their ironed clean aprons. 

Would I recommend this book to you : A book showcasing concise writing and the art of novella writing at its best - great lesson on essaying techniques or even the making of a short stage-play.