Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd: A review

 

This is a work of historical spy fiction published in 2012 and set during World War 1. It recounts the story of a British actor called Lysander Rief who is accidentally drawn into working for the British Secret Services.

The novel begins in Vienna in 1913, a time when Sigmund Freud’s work was becoming influential. Lysander has come to Vienna because of this for he has a rather personal problem and wishes to consult a psychiatrist well-versed in Freud’s work. He choice of Austria is also partly due to having and Austrian mother, a point which becomes important for the last part of the book. He is helped by the psychiatrist, but Lysander’s problem is mainly solved by a promiscuous artist called Hettie. Unfortunately, she also creates a problem by unfairly accusing Lysander of rape resulting in her pregnancy. He escapes a court case and likely imprisonment with the help of officials from the British Embassy who unbeknown to him are members of the Secret Service Bureau. They make it clear to him that he is now in their debt.

A few months later WW1 begins. Lysander is now back in the UK and enlists in the army. He is allocated a role as a German translator at an alien internment camp near Swansea, his German having improved during his time in Vienna. This caught my attention because my home is not far from Swansea. I can find no records of such a camp in South Wales during WW1, though I know of at least two built
during WW2. Lysander doesn’t remain a soldier for long. While on leave at his home in London he is contacted by the officials who helped him in Vienna: the time has come for him to repay his debt. He is instructed to undertake a code-breaking mission in Geneva. Later, there is a further assignment to find a German agent planted within the War Office. I won’t give away any further details so that I don’t spoil the plot for anyone, but these missions are difficult and dangerous. The novel ends with the wait for sunrise in the title: it is a tense wait which takes place on Hampstead Heath.

William Boyd has written many novels, and they are all well-crafted and readable. Several have won literary prizes, and some have been turned into TV series, such as Restless which also has an espionage theme involving a female spy during WW2. I’d say that Waiting for Sunrise is as good as any of these. Readers who like a historical slant should take to it, and there is a fair amount of action, adventure and romance, as well as good locations. On the down side, there is quite a lot of psychology at the start which might not suit everyone. I would have also liked more detail in the references to the early days of the British Secret Services. Overall, a good read for those who like a large helping of history with their spies.

You can listen to a podcast of this review in the form of a Spybrary Brush Pass