Official Review: Traitors by Jean-Pierre Le Pan

[Camille Turner]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Traitors" by Jean-Pierre Le Pan.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Jean-Pierre le Pan’s Traitors is a historical fiction novel that has it all: espionage, political corruption, intrigue and a high-stakes game played on the international stage. The story largely takes place in South Africa, known as Azania, and follows the lives of many complex characters such as Minister of Justice Mike Blanco, Azanian President Minto Manto, Russian Ambassador Leonid Olkov and Chinese Ambassador Hsu Li. Majority of the book takes place in what is presumably modern day, or else in recent years, though le Pan certainly references many historical events and incorporates the past into his novel.

While the story is comprised of micro-events which le Pan says you can read in any order, the overarching story hinges on Mike Blanco who has been part of one of Russia’s sleeper cells since childhood. Unbeknownst to him, the Russians have a massive plan which involves not only Blanco but also President Manto and which remains top-secret despite Blanco’s efforts to uncover it. The scheme, in part a reaction against the Chinese’s own plans in Africa, is led by Leonid Olkov, a former KGB agent and Russia’s most respected — and feared — representative in Azania. Russia’s plans unfold amidst a backdrop of racial unrest, warring political convictions and huge financial investments in Africa’s mineral resources.

One of the book’s strong suits is le Pan’s thorough research and knowledge concerning European and Asian involvement in Africa from the 1930s to today. As someone who didn’t formerly know much in this historical area, I learned quite a bit and was thankful for the many explanations provided in the book and in particular, the preface, which helped me sort fact from fiction. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, withholding a perfect score only because the story can be slightly confusing at times. Aside from the historical difficulties such as the many organizations’ abbreviations and the hard-to-remember character names which can’t be helped due to the book’s subject matter, the writing style added to my confusion at times. Specifically, it was the rapid changing of time (when heavily referencing past events), the occasional excess of details and the frequent changing of perspective between characters which rendered it difficult for me. Suffice it to say that I took more notes than usual throughout the book.

That being said, I did thoroughly enjoy the story, learned a lot and was able to make sense of everything that happened albeit through extra slow and careful reading. Positive aspects of the book include le Pan’s interesting parallels between current events and historical ones, his captivating way of presenting facts through strong and beautiful metaphors and the overall non-bias attitude of his writing. No country, political party or character is safe from critique and all are left heavily exposed in the end.

While there are some emotionally difficult scenes to process, Traitors unveils bureaucratic corruption at its worst while still giving a behind-the-scenes look at each perpetrator’s thoughts and reasoning, revealing the human side — not necessarily the good human side — of these larger-than-life villains. The book tackles tough subjects like greed, racism, narcissism and power while nodding to many social and political climates of today. For anyone interested in learning about South Africa’s history and its ongoing struggles, it is well worth the read.

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Traitors
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Like Camille Turner's review? Post a comment saying so!

[stacie k]

I like the idea of parallels between current events and historical ones. I’m certain I could learn a lot through this work of historical fiction! Too bad it was a bit confusing. Thank you for a great review!

[kandscreeley]

Being a historical novel, I'm glad that the author took the time to do his research. It sounds like there is a lot to learn, but I'm not sure I'm willing to spend the time to read so carefully. I think I would find the book confusing and probably just give up. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, though, and learned from it! Thanks.

[Cristina Chifane]

As it happens, I am currently doing some extensive research on the postcolonial African novel written in English. Consequently, I am reading novels by Chinua Achebe, J.M. Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, Bessie Head or Ngugi wa Thiong'o. Among many other things, they all tackle the issue of Apartheid corrupt governments and rigid official policies. I am wondering if Traitors could be a dystopian novel dealing with similar issues. I'll definitely take a closer look. Thank you for a very interesting review!

[Poppy Drear]

I feel like if you have to take notes to understand a story (with the exception of maybe Shakespeare), the author isn't nearly as effective in delivering their message as they should be. That said, I do appreciate thoroughly researched historical fiction. Thanks for the review!

[[Valerie Allen]]

Woo... a South African scandal as I enjoyed reading your book review with minor spoiler alerts.

[Camille Turner]

I like the idea of parallels between current events and historical ones. I’m certain I could learn a lot through this work of historical fiction! Too bad it was a bit confusing. Thank you for a great review!

Thanks for your comment! Yes, the parallels were quite interesting.

[Camille Turner]

Being a historical novel, I'm glad that the author took the time to do his research. It sounds like there is a lot to learn, but I'm not sure I'm willing to spend the time to read so carefully. I think I would find the book confusing and probably just give up. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, though, and learned from it! Thanks.

I completely understand that! And yes, historical accuracy was a strong point. Thanks for your comment!

[Camille Turner]

As it happens, I am currently doing some extensive research on the postcolonial African novel written in English. Consequently, I am reading novels by Chinua Achebe, J.M. Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, Bessie Head or Ngugi wa Thiong'o. Among many other things, they all tackle the issue of Apartheid corrupt governments and rigid official policies. I am wondering if Traitors could be a dystopian novel dealing with similar issues. I'll definitely take a closer look. Thank you for a very interesting review!

Wow! Your research sounds very interesting and I think this book would definitely compliment your study, despite it being fiction. I'm sure you would probably get through it easier than I did seeing as you have prior knowledge of the subject. I hope you like it if you check it out!

[Camille Turner]

I feel like if you have to take notes to understand a story (with the exception of maybe Shakespeare), the author isn't nearly as effective in delivering their message as they should be. That said, I do appreciate thoroughly researched historical fiction. Thanks for the review!

I understand your thinking. Thanks for commenting!

[Camille Turner]

Woo... a South African scandal as I enjoyed reading your book review with minor spoiler alerts.

Yes, a great scandal! The sleeper cell and characters' involvement, you learn from the very beginning of the book. It's the actual plan/goal that is the big mystery! I hope you like it if you choose to read it. Thanks for commenting!

[revna01]

Unless it's something along the lines of Cloud Atlas, I really don't like having to take a ton of notes while reading. The material sounds intriguing, to say the least. I may consider this one. Thank you for a great review.

[Camille Turner]

Unless it's something along the lines of Cloud Atlas, I really don't like having to take a ton of notes while reading. The material sounds intriguing, to say the least. I may consider this one. Thank you for a great review.

Thank you for your comment! I understand what you mean. The last time I took heavy notes when reading was with Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose" and that didn't have to do with his writing style, but merely the huge list of very similar-sounding names and places. That was definitely worth it, as I love that book. If you do read "Traitors," I hope you enjoy it!

[[Valerie Allen]]

Woo... a South African scandal as I enjoyed reading your book review with minor spoiler alerts.

Yes, a great scandal! The sleeper cell and characters' involvement, you learn from the very beginning of the book. It's the actual plan/goal that is the big mystery! I hope you like it if you choose to read it. Thanks for commenting!

Absolutely! Yes, I'm interested, based upon your amazing description and I have added it to my bookshelf. Thank you for replying. keep up the good work!

[Butterflybookworm]

I've always enjoyed reading historical fiction and this sounds like a good one to add to my list. The comparisons the author does between current and past events sounds intriguing.