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If Only They
Didn’t Speak
English
by Jon Sopel
2
Jon Sopel is an experienced
BBC correspondent and has
most recently been assigned
to cover all matters American,
beginning his sojourn in the
Obama administration.
When the most recent
presidential campaign began,
Sopel was in the perfect
position to document what at
times seemed like the most
outlandish and incredible
journey to the White House
ever witnessed. Sopel does
not hold back on his criticism
of Trump, and nor would we
expect him to. However, as
a BBC correspondent bound
by the ‘impartiality’ of the
BBC, we are given the facts
and allowed to make up our
own minds, although there
is little room for ambiguity
in the statements and
machinations leading to
Trump’s inauguration, or in the
decisions and reversals he has
made since occupying the Oval
O ffi c e .
What I particularly enjoyed
about Sopel’s approach was
the amount of context he
provides. In every chapter we
are given Trump’s attitudes
and policies towards a range
of issues such as race, God,
guns, truth and government.
However, Sopel provides a lot
of background for the British
reader in order to frame
American attitudes in general
towards this diverse range of
topics, as well as providing
historical explanations for
America’s often radically
different stance compared to
ours.
The title alludes to the fact
that it would be far easier to
criticise Trump’s administration
if they were from a more
exotic part of the world, rather
than our partner in a ‘special
relationship’.
Fans of Kate Atkinson will love
her latest novel as it contains
all the hallmarks of her writing
for which she has become
so renowned: the shifts in
time, the seemingly quotidian
characters who turn out to
harbour dark secrets, the vivid
reanimation of London during
WW2 and the razor-sharp
dialogue.
‘Transcription’ follows
the ‘adventures’ of Juliet
Armstrong, or the lack thereof.
Having been spotted and
interviewed for ‘the service’
(MI5), she quickly realises that
most of her time will be spent
transcribing conversations
between fifth-columnists which
have been secretly recorded.
However, these seemingly
endless periods of boredom
are suddenly interspersed
with moments of real danger,
espionage and derring-do.
Following the end of the
war, Juliet finds employment
in the BBC and is somewhat
bemused to find that this
service is much like the other
service, often with the same
personnel. If she thought that
her days of intrigue were over,
she was sorely mistaken.
There are still plenty of
twists and turns ahead for her.
As always with Atkinson, one
of the most enjoyable aspects
of her fiction is the ability to
view the past through the
distance of a new situation,
whilst the next minute being
transported back into that
past and having the benefit of
viewing events with hindsight.
It’s a technique which worked
very well in ‘A God In Ruins’ and
‘Life After Life’, and it works
well again in ‘Transcription’.
This book provided a highly
enjoyable couple of days.
Transcription
by Kate Atkinson
3