The Long Room

Listeners. Patient readers are those most likely to enjoy reading Francesca Kay’s novel titled, The Long Room. This book is a character study of protagonist Stephen Donaldson who works as a listener for a British spy agency called the Institute. He and his workplace colleagues are divided into units and work in a long room. His obsession with the wife of a subject of his listening breaks him away from his numbing routine and leads him eventually to a radical change in his life. The pacing of the novel is often very slow, and some readers will long for more action and momentum. I found Kay’s insight into the mind of this interesting character brought me satisfaction enough to offset some tedium. Rating: Three-star (It’s ok) Click here to purchase The Long Room from amazon.com.