Exocet

Exocet - Jack Higgins. This book happened to fall into my hands in passing. I told myself I might never have it again, so I would read it quickly and let it go, given that unless I showed an interest, it was most likely I wouldn't cross paths with it again. And so I read it. At first, I judged it prematurely and didn't give it much of a chance; I expected a terrible book. I went to look up the author, to see who he was, what he wrote, whether he had been a veteran or was connected to the war in some way. I was surprised to find that Jack Higgins is a pseudonym—the pseudonym of an author of more than 60 novels, whose real name is Harry Patterson and who is presented on some websites as the "leading novelist of the United Kingdom." Many of his novels have become best-sellers. One very well-known one that was later adapted into a film is titled The Eagle Has Landed, set during World War II.

As for the novel Exocet itself, it deals with a mix of espionage combined with a bit of romance and a touch of action, but the action gives way to the romance, so to my taste the novel becomes somewhat slow and unappealing, since the espionage is always present but in a somewhat superficial way. However, there are passages that are well-executed. It caught my attention very much, mostly as general knowledge—assuming it was truthful—and taking into account that much is said about the feats and strategies of Argentine aviation, the case it describes regarding British pilot strategies: "Sea Kings often serve as decoys for Exocet missiles. Prince Andrew, your brother, and his comrades believe the Exocet cannot rise higher than eight meters. To protect the craft, they hover in the air and thus serve as a target for the radar. At the last moment they gain altitude, and the Exocet passes underneath them. Unfortunately, it has been discovered that the Exocet can follow a climbing trajectory and rise to a greater height. I'll spare you the details of what can happen." (p. 82)

I do not know whether the first part of the transcribed fragment is fiction or reality, or if the author blended fiction and reality to suit the story of the novel.

Needless to say, the book revolves around the missile that became famous for its effectiveness after the Falklands/Malvinas War.

Almost the entirety of the novel centers on a love story; the action proper arrives almost three-quarters of the way through. It takes its time, but it arrives.

At one point, it alludes to "serendipity"—they didn't translate the word, and by the way, I was also unfamiliar with it in English. It goes like this: "It is serendipity. An unexpected and absolutely happy event." (p. 162)

At another point in the novel, the following dialogue takes place: “‘Have you read Beau Geste, Captain Lecrec?’ – ‘Of course,’ said Donner.” (p. 174)

The doubt struck me: What was Beau Geste? Almost certainly it was a book, but was it a book? What book? What was it about? Who was its author? Searching the internet, I quickly found the answers: it was an adventure novel written in 1924 by Percival Christopher Wren, a classic of adventure literature. Of course, I added that book to my list of books to read in the future.

Originally written on June 10, 2014