The American Mission

If you have read anything about the history of the Congo (such as the horrific but excellent and unforgettable account by Adam Hochschild, King Leopold’s Ghost), you know that this region’s sad legacy of violence and exploitation is a reflection both of its holdings of a wealth of natural resources desired by the so-called civilized world, and the greed that characterizes many in that world. By setting this thriller in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Palmer manages to educate readers about the history and complexity of politics in the region without being didactic about it. Unfortunately, the story of the Congo has never been a happy one. Although the incentives for exploitation may have changed from rubber and ivory to show more gold, diamonds, tungsten and coltan, the welfare of the Congolese people still seems to be - like always - the last concern of the big political and commercial players.

In this story, foreign diplomat Alex Baines gets a job as Political Counselor in the American Embassy in Kinshasa, the capital and largest city of the DRC. One of his tasks is to help convince villagers who live over valuable ore sites in the DRC to move out so that the Consolidated Mining, Inc. can begin open-pit strip mining. Such operations would not only destroy the landscape, but would not allow the native villagers to develop and control their own mining operations of what is, after all, their own land.

Alex protests, but his boss and former mentor in the Foreign Service, Ambassador Howard “Spence” Spencer, reminded him that supporting U.S. business interests is part of the embassy’s job. Spence also argued that it wasn’t like there was a different standard for America than for Africa: “… it’s really no different than what a dozen coal companies do every day in West Virginia.” Mining these resources allows the U.S. “to continue to operate as a great nation that accomplishes great things.” Finally, Alex was apprised that if the Americans didn’t take advantage of the DRC’s mineral wealth, the Chinese would jump in, and so it was in their best interests to secure the resources for the U.S.

Alex can’t help but think there is something wrong about all this, but goes anyway to the largest village, Busu-Mouli, to help convince the local chiefs to support the mining project. It doesn’t take much for him to come to sympathize with the point of view of Busu-Mouli’s Chief Tsiolo and his attractive daughter, Marie - a talented engineer and geologist.

Political machinations in Africa, far away from the U.S., can be extremely deadly, with plenty of desperate Africans willing to kill for money, and plenty of greedy business people and political operatives willing to hire them. By opposing the corruption, desecration of the land, and the mistreatment of its people, Alex puts himself in extreme danger.

Discussion: The author is not only the son of bestselling thriller writer Michael Palmer, but also has worked in the U.S. Foreign Service for twenty years, and is a five-time winner of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award. One wonders if he wants to keep his day job: he paints a very unflattering picture of the U.S., its interests, and its operatives.

Evaluation: I was afraid that this book would be preachy or pedantic, but it is neither. And in spite of being set in the very, very complicated world of central African politics, it is easy to follow, has a good plot line, and is quite entertaining. Was the ending too unrealistic? I don’t know; I hope not. show less

I found this story deeply disturbing in spite of the author's disclaimer. If any part of this story is factual, then the combined activities of our State Dept and the CIA protecting and abetting American Corporations' rape of the African Continent is nothing more than tarted-up Colonialism.

Alex Baines is a traumatized American Diplomat trying to do the right thing against insurmountable odds. From start to finish, he is duped by his own government and used to persuade 'his' charges to have faith in the good will of those he represents. But he is not stupid and he's a fast learner.

The plot, characterizations, and pacing of this novel are so well done that I found myself racing through the 400 pages. Added to that, his descriptions of the show more land and culture are beautiful and realistic. show less

Alex Baines is a Foreign Service Officer working in the visa department of the US Embassy in Conakry, Guinea, as a form of government purgatory related to his previous assignment. He is called by his old boss and mentor and is given the chance to be restored to inner circle of the Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. He soon finds himself in a conflict between what is theoretically his job as a representative of the United States to advocate for economic opportunity for American companies abroad and defending the people and land of the Continent of Africa against exploitation by those same companies who want to extract the riches of the earth, even if it means destruction of lives and the land.

For some reason, Africa has show more remained the Dark Continent in contemporary fiction, getting passing attention from most authors (and probably little thought by most Westerners) . This story is set entirely in Africa in a way that reflects Palmer’s respect, admiration and hopes for the people of that land. He shows the humanity of the people and the common Western misconceptions of African politics and challenges without being condescending.

This book is in written in the ‘thriller’ genre and style, so you can’t look to it for lyrical prose or extended contemplation of some facet of the human experience. However, it goes well beyond the formulaic thriller cliches of a former military/police expert who is brought out of semi-retirement for one more mission who calls on his nearly super-human abilities to save the world. The American Mission has an important conflict that really goes beyond the pages of the book and uses an engaging story to describe it.

The prose is simple and effective--Palmer isn’t trying to wow anyone with descriptions or literary pretentions, and that is fine because the story moves on its own.

The conflict isn’t subtle, but Palmer doesn’t beat the reader over the head with it either. There is plenty to think about long after the story is finished. Frankly, this story should make Americans think twice about what their leaders are doing abroad and question how their values are represented to the world.

Palmer is a 20-year veteran of the Foreign Service and thus has personal insight into the workings of diplomacy and the less-glamorous grind of representing America abroad. The glimpses into the inner workings of diplomacy and embassy operations are fascinating and really add to the story.

I hope this is just the first in a series of intelligent, thought-provoking fiction by Matthew Palmer, shining a long-overdue light on Africa.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book with the expectation that I would provide an honest review. show less

I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Review program in exchange for an honest review.
This book presents the reader with an interwoven combination of political intrigue, African history, and social awareness. Any of these would have held my interest, but the combination is astounding. Matthew Palmer creates a terrifying image of a corrupt State Department and the lengths it will go to control a third world country. His description of the conditions of the villagers is in stark contrast to those people who live in the bigger cities. But despite the lack of amenities, the uplifting spirit and joy for life the small villagers exude made me smile many times.
Alex Baines was devastated by the massacre in Darfur. Because of the show more psychological scars he receives from his attempts to rescue the refugees in Camp Riad, he loses his security clearance and any long-range future with the US State Department. Stuck in a visa-stamping position, he is prepared to accept a civilian job when he receives a career- saving offer from Ambassador Howard “Spence” Spencer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Alex arrives in Kinshasa, he soon discovers the power of the Consolidated Mining Company and its devastating grip on the riches and future of the Congo’s people. While attempting to balance his State Department tasking to look out for the US interests, he rescues Maria Tsiolo and a small group of scientists from Joseph Manamakimba and the Hammer of God. Slowly he begins to understand that nothing in the Congo is as it appears; who is good and who is bad begins to quickly blur. The thrilling story of how Alex and Maria save not only her town but the entire country is intriguing, exciting, and uplifting. In the end, good prevails and evil is banished. show less

There is no doubt that Matthew Palmer, an old hand in the U.S. Foreign Service, has a good grasp of the nuances of the difficulty implementing our foreign policy. Africa seems to be a particularly troublesome spot. Millions have died in the last two decades—butchered in many cases—for the sake of one crazy despotic warlord or another. In The American Mission we find that continuing instability in the area could be driven, in part, by US and multinational business interests. We are provided a wonderful mosaic of African culture and life (frequently divorced from the 21st century) and an understanding why Africa’s mineral wealth makes picking the “good” guys over the bad that makes us want to just throw up our hands. However, in show more some ways the story left me cold. I never felt much empathy with the main characters and felt the story took a while to get off the ground. Still, for a first-time author it was an interesting read and one in which his background and knowledge provided a somewhat credible story line. show less

The American Mission the debut novel by Matthew Palmer is a little slow to start but picks up quickly in the second half of the book. Well written, the American Mission has an interesting cast of characters and a quite plausible story line. Matthew Palmer, having worked in the Foreign Service for 20 years, has a solid understanding of foreign service policies and procedures which comes through in the novel.

Solid book, if a bit lengthy. Final third of the book was hopeful and inspirational, which made up for an utterly depressing and sad first 2/3. I can only hope the book is more fictional than it lets on, though I wonder. Uninteresting romance that didn't need to happen, though it gave some lighter moments and humanized the characters who are mostly just trying to stay alive the entire time. Good description, sometimes a bit too much detail, but I was able to visualize it, which is difficult for a country I've never been to and know little about. I'll look forward to more.