Published 1931

If The Name of Action parodied a novel by Joseph Conrad, Greene’s second novel, which he later repudiated, Rumour at Nightfall, manages to combine Conrad with parodies of Henry James and Walter Scott. The style, like the writer at this point in his career, is inconsistent. Greene clutters the page with descriptions of the thoughts of the characters. And as these characters seek to understand their own motivations and those of others, they think in complex similes. Similar to a James novel, the characters have thoughts much more articulate than any that I have ever had. Greene uses a language more formal (or ‘pretentious’ as he described it in Ways of Escape) than he uses in any other novel. I have no doubt that he was trying very hard to be a serious writer.

Francis Chase is a journalist in Spain after the First Carlist War. (Never heard of it? It doesn’t matter.) He is pursuing the final rebel leader, Caveda. If he can get the story of the capture of Caveda, it will make his career back in England. Not wanting to wait, he is helping the Spanish army try to locate the rebel scum. Chase hears that he may be in the town of San Juan. On his way there, Chase gets caught in a storm, feels sad, and wishes his friend Crane were there. He’s in luck, because when he gets to San Juan he is met by his Crane, who just happened to show up because he figured Chase would want company. Makes sense.

And then even more things happen. Chase and Crane discover that Caveda stays at the house of Eulalia Monti, a beautiful young woman whose mother is desperate to marry off. When they pay her a visit, Crane and Eulalia fall in love with each other. The growing realization of their love and how they overcome the barriers to it forms one crux of the novel. Greene also intends the relationship between Chase and Crane to move the action. Chase finds thinking to be painful, whereas Crane thinks about everything until it leaves him alone. The two friends discover that Caveda plans to start an uprising the next day in San Juan. As they try to grapple with whether to reveal Caveda’s plans to the authorities or to let events follow their course, the friends diverge, making each a proxy for the other side.

One amusing aspect of the novel is that Caveda himself never makes an appearance, although his presence  drives the actions of the characters. Thus the final fight between Chase and Crane, which at least Chase ends up regretting, is in support of ideals that neither of them can articulate.

*

Overall, I judge this novel to be better than The Name of Action, even with the pretentious writing. Certain scenes show great promise, including some that move in directions that Greene would not continue to follow, such as a well-written romantic scene between Crane and Eulalia. The climax of the novel finds Chase trapped in a house with Caveda’s men while the Spanish army attacks. The scene is a success and makes for fast reading as the action and tension carry the reader along. But, with so many better books to read, I would recommend that you skip Rumour at Nightfall.