I have just listened to a two-part audio recording of John Le Carre's famous novel of 1974: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; superbly read by Michael Jayston (who played Guillam in the BBC TV adaptation).
As a novel, it has many excellent aspects; although the ending is disappointingly anti-climatic (the TV adaptation did this better).
But then, there could hardly be any other kind of ending, given JLC's world-view.
TTSS confirmed my earlier impressions of the profound human limitations - or, more exactly, deficiencies - of Le Carre himself, and the world he depicted.
Not one of the TTSS characters is likeable or capable of love; and this applies even to George Smiley where Le Carre seems to have gone all-out to portray goodness in a man.
A great deal of weight is put upon Smiley's long-term "love" for his promiscuous and cruel wife Anne; but Anne is portrayed as incredibly beautiful, popular, aristocratic and well-connected so the impression is that George is obsessed-with and dependent on her, rather than anything recognizable as genuine love.
All the other characters relationships are based on exploitation, manipulation, illusion, social cachet, and a kind of mindless status-seeking - or some kind of helpless, addictive and obsessive compulsion.
Le Carre could not portray goodness for the simple and obvious reason that he was not himself good: he could only simulate goodness - but not convincingly.
Despite all these defects, and the claustrophobic - almost suffocating atmosphere - Tinker, Tailor is a very clever and well-structured "whodunnit" that gives the impression of an honest and accurate insight into the nature of life among the alien denizens of the Norman ruling class - what motivates and gratifies them: what makes "Them" tick...
