Confessions of a Terrorist: A Novel

摘要

Terrorism and terrorists have become a routine preoccupation for many Western governments. The recent rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has led to the typical response to an emerging terrorist threat: increase domestic threat levels (and suspicion) and be prepared for some form of international intervention. Readers of Confessions of a Terrorist will likely have this current crisis in mind when appraising the book, the debut novel of Richard Jackson, professor of peace studies at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Written in the form of a literary two-hander, the plot centres on two men in an interrogation room: one a British intelligence officer, the other a captured terrorist. The confined setting creates a personal moral and intellectual duel between Michael, the MI5 operative, and the 'Professor'. Without giving too much away, as the plot unfolds and the dialogue continues, the question eventually arises as to who is the real terrorist in the room.