Written by Ken Follett, Reviewed by Erin
Eye of the Needle is a novel that describes hypothetical events in the weeks preceding the Allied Invasion of Normandy during World War II. The story focused on military intelligence and followed the footsteps of an expert German spy codenamed Die Nadel (The Needle). Die Nadel discovered the biggest Allied secret of the war, and the success of the D-Day invasion rested on his capture. Meanwhile, on a deserted, windswept island lives Lucy and her alienated husband, David, who lost his legs in a car accident on the way to their honeymoon. David’s detached attitude toward his wife is truly heartbreaking, as it is difficult to picture anyone as lonely as Lucy while married and raising a child.
Obviously, the two stories have to intersect to have any relevance to the story, and this intersection occurs when Die Nadel becomes shipwrecked on Lucy’s barren island, which begins a torrid affair between the two parties. Simultaneously, the plot takes a nosedive, as Follett seems to rush toward the conclusion without keeping the same detailed writing style that had previously captivated the reader. The whirlwind affair seems trite and unrealistic, and the weaknesses in Die Nadel’s seemingly impenetrable character make little sense. Ultimately, the heroine Lucy defends herself from a professional killer and somehow manages to put an end to him, as well. The climax of the story is fairly disappointing, although Lucy does finally find happiness.
As one of Follett’s earliest successes, the characters in Eye of the Needle follow his usual theme: strong and heroic female coupled with a ruthless enemy, and behind-the-scenes is an intelligent character struggling to solve some vast mystery. However, the plot development was still not as solid as in Follett’s later works, such as Pillars of the Earth and The Third Twin. Although Eye of the Needle is an historically accurate World War II novel, it lacks the charisma of Jackdaws. I recommend this book, but not as your first Follett experience, nor as your last.