In this episode, creative writing teacher and acclaimed writer Scott O’Connor joins to explore the layered complexities of John le Carré’s novel The Constant Gardener. The discussion ranges from O’Connor’s initial discovery of le Carrés works while researching for his own novel, Half World, to the idea that readers often connect with books differently depending on their life’s circumstances.

We look at the thematic elements of The Constant Gardener, such as the focus on abusive systems, the development of characters like Justin and Tessa, and how le Carré’s storytelling and risk-taking make this novel compelling. Also, could le Carré have written an episode of COLUMBO? Plus, how much gardening do we really get in this book?

All that and much more in this episode.

More on Monty Don

Scott’s Website – http://scott-oconnor.com/

Scott’s book Half World

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite