Paulo Coelho’s latest novel could perhaps as justifiably be
called a work of creative non-fiction, albeit it’s a very creative sort of non-fiction. In The Spy, he details the life of Mata Hari, a
woman who was executed as a spy. Coelho bases his novel upon copious amounts of
research into the woman’s life, based upon recently released information from
MI5 and other agencies.
His conclusion is that Mata Hari was not, in fact, a spy.
This does not mean that she is not a fascinating character with a place in
history, however. Coelho paints a vivid picture of her life as she travels from
her homeland – where she was born Margaretha Zelle – to Indonesia to France and
Germany. It begins with her execution and moves from there, told from the
perspective of her final letter.
It seems that the author wishes to portray his subject as
some sort of feminist hero – a woman who was not a spy, but rather a liberated
woman who was executed for daring to live a life outside of the control of men.
Perhaps that was true, but what I got from this book was not a great deal of
sympathy for its protagonist. Instead, I found her annoying, vain, and
self-obsessed.
I like that Coelho didn’t idolize her, though. She comes
across as pitiful. She is a prostitute who whores herself because she likes
expensive things. She dances naked because she wants people to think she is
beautiful. She name drops the famous people she encountered, yet thinks herself entirely above them. She is in many ways quite pathetic, and yet that makes her very
human. She was most likely not a spy, and instead just a normal woman whose
life was shattered and destroyed.
The book is very short and I finished it in just three sittings.
I’m not sure I would’ve bothered if it was much longer. Coelho’s story is not
hugely interesting, in spite of its fascinating subject matter. It leaves too
much unanswered, and yet says so much that isn’t of any importance.
