The Bourne Identity

The Bourne Identity is the first novel in the Bourne Trilogy and makes a great thriller novel. Revolving around spies and assassins, this book is a wonderful read. I found it hard to put down as I read page after page to know what Ludlum would spring up next.

This story is about a CIA operative the assumed name of Jason Bourne hired to kill a notorious assassin llich Ramirez Sanchez aka Carlos the Jackal. The story begins with the main protagonist as an unknown person found floating in the Mediterranean due to serious gunshot wounds. He is rescued by fishermen and turned over to a disgraced doctor called Washburn. Apparently Bourne’s attempts to kill Carlos the Jackal did not go smoothly and he now does not remember who he is apparently due to his injuries.

This doctor finds a microfilm with the details of a Swiss bank account in Zurich. When he recovers, he journeys into the past to find out his real identity. His travel to Zurich reveals a huge amount of money in the bank account. Here, he also discovers a name - Jason Bourne, but he does not remember whether he himself is Jason Bourne or not.

From this point on, he discovers that both the CIA and Carlos the Jackal are after him to kill him. Bourne also gets involved with a woman called Marie St Jacques, an employee of the Canadian government, who continues to be with him during the rest of the story. Together they set down to unravel for what reasons Jason is being hunted and the uncomfortable secrets behind it.

This book is also made into a film, but the film leaves behind the story as in the novel and takes off in a new direction entirely. I believe that like most people, you will enjoy the book more than you enjoy the movie. Though the story is a bit dated going back to the cold war era, the motives of the governments involved have not changed. Real life situations of what is described in the book happen too often for us to ignore.

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