Goodbye Mr Bond… Hello, Vera Kelly.
Book Club Review - ‘Who is Vera Kelly?’ by Rosalie Knecht
For a number of years now, the debate over who the next James Bond should be has raged. Should Bond be played by a BAME actor, a woman or a WOC? Then, there are those who have argued about whether James Bond can be played by anyone other than a straight white male without substantially changing the character.
Perhaps though, we are asking the wrong question. Does this debate not reveal that James Bond is a character that belongs to bygone age, and its time for Bond to step aside and let another take centre stage?
Step forward Vera Kelly.
Vera Kelly is a spy for the modern age - sophisticated, carefully constructed and part of a cynical world that is aware that intelligence services are not angels vs devils, but half angels vs half devils. We are a generation fully aware of the political intrigues that both the West and the East played in various theatres during the Cold War. We are post-Watergate, post-Vietnam, post-Pinochet, post-Falklands, post-Noriega, post-Iraq - we no longer are comfortable with the world that James Bond inhabits - that of Western supremacy and chauvinistic and toxic masculinity. We understand that the world depicted in those films is old-fashioned, and full of all the Cold War imperialism that is no longer tolerated and rhetoric that is no longer believed.
Knecht’s introduction to her character of Vera Kelly is very much grounded in a world that we can recognise. Knecht constructs a character who is sympathetic, flawed and sophisticated - a huge contrast to the cartoon-like caricature of James Bond.
Knecht weaves a carefully written duel narrative across two time periods, focusing on Kelly’s espionage mission in Argentina and her troubled upbringing that led to her becoming a spy.
Knecht deals with the intense and confused picture of Argentinian politics in the 1960s with skill and leaves the reader curious to learn more about the events of this period. Exposition is limited and leaves the reader to make what they can of the situation, largely as an outsider being allowed a peak into this world.
Vera’s own past is carefully constructed to illustrate the characteristics that both make her suited to a life of espionage as well as making her an intriguing character that holds our interest. Her estrangement from her mother and her secretive life as homosexual woman in 1960s America is convincing, engaging and avoids melodrama. Apart from the Cold War politics and ideologies, and the ideals and rhetoric of patriotism, this novel explores what it means to be a woman, and indeed, a lesbian, in 1960s America. These issues are approached on a personal level, through convincing character development - this is not a novel that preaches. It fact, it does rather the opposite, laying bare the individual and allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions about the values of 1960s American society.
Political ideologies and despotism are similarly dealt with - Knecht does not focus so much on the big political figures themselves, but instead, shows the effects their decisions have on the people that live in Buenos Aires at this time, in as realistic a manner as possible. The political coup, in particular, is deftly portrayed.
Knecht’s secondary characters are also complex and mysterious. One of the most superb aspects of this novel is its enigmatic qualities - the reader is left to consider the importance of perspective and how this may alter the way in which we view different characters. This is testament to Knecht’s sophisticated characterisation, which values depth and complexity over acts of heroism and daring-do. There are no superhuman villains to overcome, no mastermind plots to rule the world, no clock ticking down, and the novel is better for it.
In the questions for discussion at the end of the book, one asks ‘what next for Vera Kelly?’ The book club hoped that a film adaptation would be forthcoming - the novel is highly cinematic and atmospheric.
Vera Kelly is a spy for the modern age, and a worthy successor to James Bond - a spy for an age that we have left behind.
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