As he begins to notice Vesper’s odd behavior, he chalks it up to the deceitful nature of women. When later rebuffed, he grows frustrated, and contemplates forcing the issue in her hotel room. He openly admits to himself that his intention is merely to sleep with her. After meeting her and noticing her beauty, Bond ponders both physical violence and rape. Upon learning that she has been assigned as support for his mission, Bond grumbles that women are not qualified to conduct men’s work. In the novel, Fleming’s Bond rarely views Vesper as an individual. What a startling contrast the book provides, then.

And at the end of the film, when Vesper’s treason is revealed, Bond does the remarkable: he forgives her, acknowledging that her actions were not chosen but forced upon her by a greater force that eventually consumed her and took her life. More than professing his feelings toward her, he shows them. When she is torn by indecision and internal torment, he is patient. When she is confronted with violence and visibly reacts, he comforts her. In the film, Daniel Craig’s Bond treats Vesper tenderly.

Her actions are from the start confused and the result of clouded moral judgment in the face of acute emotional stress. Vesper is motivated to betray Bond out of love for her betrothed, kidnapped by a ruthless crime syndicate (or, in the book, the Soviet Union) that threatens to kill him without the complicity of Vesper. For those who have seen the film, Vesper is an Aristotelian tragic hero, a figure noble and serene in appearance and action, whose singular deep flaw leads to a path of destruction. To be clearer, the misogyny in the novel is somewhat overwhelming. Indeed, having access to the internal monologue of Bond’s thoughts proves an unwelcome intrusion into a world shrouded not so much by moral doubt as by confused gender politics.

And, much to my dismay, I discovered that Fleming’s Bond is perhaps even more shallow than the one frolicking across the world on the silver screen. So I was interested to see what depth, if any, the book lent the character.

I’ve seen my share of the films, and was blown away by the reinvention of the series by 2006’s Casino Royale prequel, starring Daniel Craig as a more human and emotional Bond. I recently had the opportunity to read Casino Royale (1953), the novel by Ian Fleming that started the franchise that has since spawned over 20 films and established one of the most famous characters in all the world: James Bond.

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