Julian Lawndsley

Although many of the novel’s thematic concerns center on Edward Avon and Stewart Proctor, Julian is arguably the protagonist. While le Carré primarily uses the third-person perspective, he occasionally breaks this pattern in order to divulge Julian’s direct thoughts in the first-person. At the novel’s start, Julian is 33 years old and has recently moved to East Anglia—a small, seaside town in Britain—to open a bookstore. He previously had a successful career as a financial trader in London; despite mentions of “alcoholic revels” and “one-night stands” (67), le Carré reveals very little about Julian’s former life. Julian shares clear similarities with his deceased father, H.K. Lawndsley, such as a proclivity for womanizing. Throughout the novel, Julian attempts to navigate his interest in the mysterious Avons (an interest which is motivated partly by Edward’s former friendship with H.K.) as well as...