One of the aspects of le Carre's fiction that critics most admire is its careful examination of the social implications of spying. In The Russia House, the Soviet Union is in the midst of glasnost, through which the government is trying to adopt a more reasonable attitude toward the Western world. The novel is full of examples of the changes, such as when KGB guards exchange a wink with a British book agent over their admiration of a beautiful Russian woman. The previously hostile attitude toward foreigners has seemingly relaxed.

On the other hand, The Russia House portrays a dark world in which superficial friendliness can disguise vicious rivalries. The Soviets still torture people into confessions; Western spies believe that no one, however well trained, can avoid betraying all they know to Soviet interrogators. Western spy agencies, too, have their dark sides, although they do not...