MI5 and Me

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A beguiling comic memoir reveals a young woman's surprising discovery that her father is a spy, serving as the model for John le Carré's George Smiley, and her subsequent role as a secretary in 1950s MI5. At eighteen, Lottie is shocked to learn that her seemingly dull father is involved in espionage, and he encourages her to find a meaningful job. Dressed in a dreary suit and feeling exposed without her false eyelashes, she arrives at MI5's Mayfair headquarters, where she is assigned to the formidable Dragon. Desperate to escape the monotony of typing, Lottie finds solace in the company of the serene Arabella, who helps her navigate the mysteries of office life, including the odd disappearance of security films and the peculiarities of workplace dynamics. As Lottie's home fills with actors posing as spies and Arabella's mother receives suspicious calls, she begins to feel increasingly unsettled. This memoir offers a fascinating glimpse into 1950s Britain, a time when Russian agents infiltrated the upper echelons of society, debutantes became typists, and Englishness embodied a complex code of behavior. Discretion and honor intertwine with secrecy and suspicion in this enchanting, extraordinary, and humorous true story.