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''Spies'' (2002) is a
psychological novel In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...
by English author and dramatist
Michael Frayn Michael Frayn, FRSL (; born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce ''Noises Off'' and the dramas ''Copenhagen'' and ''Democracy''. His novels, such as '' Towards the End of the Mo ...
. It is currently studied by
A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
, and some
GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
, literature students in various schools. It is also studied by some Year 12 VCE English students in Australia.


Synopsis

Narrating in the form of a
bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is impo ...
, an elderly man, Stefan Weitzler, reminisces about his life during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as he wanders down the now modernised London
cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...
that he once called home. Now a young boy, Stephen, regularly bullied at school and bored with his home life, is informed by his best friend Keith Hayward, a snobbish and domineering neighbour, that Keith's mother is an undercover operative working for the Germans. As the two boys spy on Mrs. Hayward from a hiding place in the hedges, they notice her unusual daily routine: leaving Keith's house with a picnic basket full of food, tapping on the window of Auntie Dee (Mrs. Hayward's sister, next-door-neighbour and best friend, whose husband, Uncle Peter, is away in the RAF), and walking through to the end of the cul-de-sac where she disappears into the nearby town. When the boys follow her, they cannot find her in any of the shops; and when they get back to their hiding place, Mrs. Hayward is already ahead of them, walking back into Keith's house. When snooping in Keith's mother's room, they find her diary which contains a small 'x' marked on a day of every month (in reference to her menstrual cycle). The boys'
naïveté Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may ...
leads them to believe that 'x' is another secret agent that Mrs. Hayward has meetings with each month. One day, the boys realise that Keith's mother does not turn left into the town every day, but instead turns right into a grimy tunnel that leads to a disused field. Later that night, Stephen goes through the tunnel and finds a box in the field that contains a pack of cigarettes. When Keith opens the packet, a slip of paper pops out with a single letter written on it: X. Another night, Stephen sneaks out to the tunnel and goes to the box once again; this time some clean clothes are inside. As he is looking through them, somebody appears behind him. Stephen is too scared to turn around and holds his breath hoping that he isn't noticed. Still holding a sock, Stephen runs away as soon as he cannot hear the sound of breathing behind him. His family are outside looking for him and are furious. The next day, when Keith is doing homework, Mrs. Hayward visits Stephen in his hiding place in the bushes and tells him that she knows he is following her, and that he should stop now before he gets hurt. Despite this, Stephen shows Keith the sock, not telling him about Mrs. Hayward's warnings, and says that they need to uncover the truth before Keith's mother's next meeting with 'x'. The next day, the boys revisit the field where they find the box empty. A few feet ahead of them they see something hiding under an iron sheet – a
vagabond Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, temporar ...
. Keith and Stephen take bars and smash at the sheet until finally realising they may have killed the vagabond. They run and bump into Keith's mother in the tunnel. She holds back Stephen and tells him since he is not going to stop spying on her, he will have to do her favours for the man in the field. Stephen realises that Mrs. Hayward is not a German spy, but in fact helping the vagabond whom she has taken under her care. Stephen discovers the tramp is dying while taking eggs and milk to him, and is asked to give a silk map to Mrs. Hayward to show the man's love for her. However, Stephen is too scared to do so and later that night sees the police taking him away on a stretcher, his face badly mutilated after being hit by a train. Fifty years later, Stephen ties up the loose ends, explaining that the vagabond was in fact Uncle Peter who had gone
AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...
and was carrying out an affair with Keith's mother while dying from war wounds. As well as this, it turns out that there ''was'' a German spy living in the cul-de-sac: Stephen's father, although he was actually working for the British. A subplot is also included in the novel, where Stephen finds comfort in Barbara Berrill – a girl Stephen's age living in his neighbourhood – who is used as a
plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any narrative technique, technique in a narrative used to move the Plot (narrative), plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing ...
for revealing very important information that helps Stephen understand the mysteries he is uncovering. Barbara is also an important part of Stephen's transition from the childish world that he shared with Keith to the adult world, filled with complications but also understanding.


Characters

* Stephen Wheatley – A shy boy who finds himself drawn into Keith's games and is a frequent target of school
bullies A bully is someone responsible for bullying, using aggression to intimidate or dominate others. Bully may also refer to: Animals * American Bully, a breed of dog * Bull Terrier or bully, a breed of dog * '' Gobiomorphus'' or bully, an Australia ...
. The book hints at that Stephen suffers from OCD, and seems to be sexually attracted to Barbara. * Geoff Wheatley – Stephen's older brother. * Keith Hayward – A snobbish, domineering child with a worryingly vicious streak, possibly inspired by the cruelty his father bestows upon him whenever he misbehaves. His inherent snobbery has alienated most other children and his parents seem to largely ignore him, so in a sense he relies on Stephen for companionship, although he frequently condescends to and mistreats him. * Mrs. Hayward – A mysterious character, implied as being very attractive. She vanishes for various amounts of time throughout the day for no apparent reason, leading her son to believe that she may be an undercover operative. She has a distant relationship with her husband and seems vaguely scared of him. * Mr. Hayward – A deeply introverted man, who spends most of his time in his shed working on various mechanical projects. He mostly ignores Keith, and only acknowledges Stephen's existence when it is apparent that he knows something he should not. He has a peculiar hold on his wife and is subtly conveyed as quite a nasty, mean-spirited individual. His anger at being unable to fight in the war like the rest of the men is channelled into a very calm (but all the more threatening)
persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally ref ...
. * Barbara Berrill – A school peer of Keith and Stephen, who shows an interest in Stephen and occasionally accompanies him on his adventures. She often appears bossy and annoys Stephen, although it appears that he may have a slight crush on her. Barbara serves as a
plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any narrative technique, technique in a narrative used to move the Plot (narrative), plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing ...
for revealing important information at certain times during the novel. * Deirdre Berrill - Barbara's older sister who "meets up" with Geoff. * Auntie Dee – Mrs. Hayward's sister, whom she sees every day. Described as very bubbly and a frequent smiler. * Uncle Peter – Auntie Dee's husband, a handsome young man currently fighting abroad. He has garnered a reputation as a
war hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero' ...
. * Milly - The baby daughter of Dee and Peter.


Critical reactions

''Spies'' was well-received by the literary community, with many critics praising Frayn for his creative and original approach.Independent
/ref> Once published, ''Spies'' went on to win the 2002 Whitbread Novel of the year for achievement in literary excellence, and the 2002
Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize The Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize is the United Kingdom's first literary award for comic literature. Established in 2000 and named in honour of P. G. Wodehouse, past winners include Paul Torday in 2007 with ''Salmon Fishing in the Yemen'' an ...
for comic literature.


See also

*
Michael Frayn Michael Frayn, FRSL (; born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce ''Noises Off'' and the dramas ''Copenhagen'' and ''Democracy''. His novels, such as '' Towards the End of the Mo ...


Footnotes


Further reading

*''Spies'' (
York Notes York Notes are a series of English literature study guides sold in the United Kingdom and in approximately 100 countries worldwide. They are sold as revision material for GCSE and A-level exams particularly as literary guides to introduce stude ...
Advanced) by
Anne Rooney Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
(London: York Press, 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Spies 2002 British novels English novels Novels by Michael Frayn Costa Book Award-winning works British bildungsromans Novels set during World War II Novels set in London Faber and Faber books Psychological novels