What is a summary of 'spies' by Michael frayn?

Answer 1

Spies - Michael Frayn

Plot Summary

Most of the action is remembered by the narrator after fifty years. He is recalling events that took place in The Close, a suburban cul de sac somewhere in England during the Second World War.

This novel has quite a complex plot based on the narrator's search for the truth behind the mysterious happenings in his typical, middle class world during his childhood and early adolescence.

Stephen Wheatly, the hero, is friends with his rather snobbish neighbour Keith Hayward. Both boys tend to have rather active imaginations and are quick to build an adventurous scenario out of any innocuous circumstance. This characteristic is heightened by the general fear in England during the war when everyone suspected that Germen spies were trying to infiltrate them with a view to invasion.

Against this background the boys try to do their bit for their country by keeping an eye on the goings on in their estate. The reality that they stumble on is far more mysterious that anything they could imagine.

The narrative speeds up when a constable calls to the Closes to investigate a midnight prowler. The boys immediately jump to the conclusion that the prowler is a German spy.

The plot thickens when both boys notice that Keith's mother seems to write and post letters every day. This gives rise in the boys minds to the suspicion that she too might be a German spy in cahoots with the prowler and in direct communication with Berlin! They begin to spy on her and start to peek into her diary where they discover what they interpret to be mysterious X that occurs once every month.

As readers we begin to smile at their innocence.

The next phase of the mystery happens when they see her regularly bring a package to Aunty Dee's (her sister) house. Now Aunty Dee's husband is away at war and they wonder is she using the black market to get around rationing.

They construct a hideout to better spy on her but she becomes suspicious and asks Stephen to understand her need for privacy. This only heightens the mystery and even more so with the introduction of Barbara Berrill a girl who has much more information regarding the goings on on the estate. She maintains that half of the women are cheating on their husbands and suggests that that is the reason for all the secrecy.

On an outing to the cottages (poor part of town) Keith and Stephen come across a vagabond sheltering in a hole under corrugated iron. They do not see him but only hear his sickly cough. Now this must be the German spy, they think!

Soon matters come to a crisis when Keith's mother (Mrs Hayward) asks Stephen to bring a box to the vagabond. He refuses. Later however he does visit him and the obviously dying man asks him to bring back a token (a piece of cloth) to Mrs Hayward and saying he will leave "forever" and never trouble her again.

Later that night Stephen tries to go to this mysterious man again but on his way he sees soldiers carrying the man's badly mutilated corpse. He does not understand how or why the man has died but as he returns to bed he realises that the game of spying on the neighbours is finally over.

In the 9 page epilogue the older Stephen tells us who the mysterious vagabond was and how his presence creates such scandal and subterfuge. He ties up all the loose ends of the mystery and to utter these matters here would ruin the book for anyone yet to enjoy it.

Answer 2

Hey, I'm looking for the same thing for AS English Lit and Lang!

Here's a site that I found:

Summary_of_'spies'_by_Michael_frayn

It's a summary of the whole book. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

• Stephen Wheatley - A shy boy who finds himself drawn into Keith's games and is a frequent target of school bullies. The book hints at that Stephen suffers from OCD.

• Keith Hayward - A snobbish, domineering child with a worryingly vicious streak, possibly inspired by the cruelty his father bestows upon him whenever he misbehaves. His inherent snobbery has alienated most other children and his parents seem largely ignorant of him, so in a sense he relies on Stephen for companionship, although he frequently condescends to and mistreats him.

• Mrs. Hayward - A mysterious character, implied as being very attractive. She vanishes for various amounts of time throughout the day for no apparent reason, leading her son to believe that she may be an undercover operative. She has a distant relationship with her husband, and seems vaguely scared of him.

• Mr. Hayward - A deeply introverted man, who spends most of his time in his shed working on various mechanical projects. He mostly ignores Keith, and only acknowledges Stephen's existence when it appears that he knows something he shouldn't. He has a peculiar hold on his wife and is subtly conveyed as quite a nasty, mean-spirited individual.

• Barbara Berrill - A school peer of Keith and Stephen, who shows an interest in the latter and occasionally accompanies him on his adventures. She often appears bossy and annoys Stephen, although it appears that he may have a slight crush on her. Barbara serves as a plot device for revealing important information at certain times during the novel.

• Auntie Dee - Mrs. Hayward's sister, whom she sees every day.

• Uncle Peter - Auntie Dee's husband, a handsome young man currently fighting abroad. He has garnered a reputation as a war hero.

Here you go ;) hope it helps!

Answer 4

The psychological novel Spies (2002) was written by English author Michael Frayn. The main characters in the novel are called Stephen Wheatley and Keith Hayward.