The Tenth Man

Thought provoking and full of surprises

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The language in the book is fairly simple and the plot is fairly easy to follow, yet it is a book that makes you think. You think about the value of a person's life. You wonder about how much you can believe what someone says.
The book is mainly about a lawyer named Chavel who is imprisoned in a German jail. Three men out of the thirty prisoners are to be executed and their fate is decided by their drawing slips of paper. Chavel is one of the three men who draws a marked slip signifying he will be killed. In order to save his life he gives all of his money and possessions to a man named Janvier who agrees to die in Chavel's place so his family can live well after his death. Most of the book revolves around what happens after Chavel is released from prison.
The book is full of surprises so I won't reveal anymore of the plot. What you think will happen does not always happen.

Short, but it packs a punch

This short 'entertainment' lacks the intensity of a major novel, but the tightly constructed plot makes this book worth the read. Graham Greene combines his fantastic prose with a few fantastic twists. What whould happen if you could trade all of your possesions for a second chance at life? Greene takes a stab at this very intiguing question, and throws in enough curveballs to keep you guessing until the end. True, the characters may be flat, but the story is vivid, creative, and well worth a look.

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