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Is it a masterpiece of literary fiction? Yes. Is it an easy read? No. The structure is complex, weaving multiple story lines through flashbacks that are not clearly marked as such, filled with obstruse British slang (which I was constantly googling). A Perfect Spy is not really a spy novel or cold war thriller, although there is plenty of spy craft here. Rather it is a searing account of a man coming to terms with his lying, conniving father, reminiscent of Geoffrey Wolfe's fine memoir "The Duke of Deception." I read in the recent biography of Philip Roth, that Roth considered this the best British novel of the post-war era. No argument from me.