The Russia House is a fine topic for discussion. It offers well-worked-out themes, first-rate characterizations, and taut suspense. A successful discussion could begin by focusing either on the novel's themes or its characters. The themes invite thoughtful discussion of the cold war, of the sacrifices people are expected to make in defense of their countries, of the rationalizations cruelty in defense of freedom, and of what is truly knowable about any nation's political secrets. On the other hand, the novel's characters invite discussion of their humanity and their distinctiveness. The characters, instead of the plot, seem to carry the action of the novel; they are the sources of suspense because events unfold from the mysteries hidden in their personalities.

They embody the conflicts inherent in the novel's themes.

1. What aspects of Barley's personality make him essential to the development of the themes of The Russia House...