I finally read The Quiet American when I went to Saigon for the first time and of course stayed The Continental Hotel, where Greene himself stayed. Reading the photocopied version of his book in the country he wrote about brought it all home for me. The central character in this book is Pyle, a young and naïve American sent to promote democracy and which instead causes bloodshed. His cynical reporter friend, Fowler, watching from the sidelines is then forced to act himself. It’s a devastating read.