The Comedians

Name: The Comedians
Rating: 4.04 (12258 reviews)

by Graham Greene

First published 1966

Amazon

4.0(12,258)

Brown returns to Haiti intending to revive the hotel inherited from his mother, but the country is controlled by François Duvalier and the Tonton Macoute. On the voyage he meets the idealistic Smiths and the deceptive Major Jones, whose invented military career may become real when opponents of the regime seek outside help.

Brown’s affair with Martha, the wife of a diplomat, offers no escape from the political fear surrounding them. Foreign residents perform versions of courage, neutrality and expertise while Haitians face the direct consequences of dictatorship. The title’s comedians are people improvising identities in a country where exposure can mean imprisonment or death.