Spymaster Makes Cameo in His Book Trailer

The trailer for John le Carré’s new novel, “A Delicate Truth,” is a stylish new example of a form (art form, advertising form or both, depending on your perspective) that is still finding its feet. The book is being published in the U.S. next week, and the video appeared for the first time on Thursday on Mr. le Carré’s Web site.

The clip’s London-based director, Kim Gehrig, said, “The tricky thing was how do you respect a reader when you’re making a film, because most films have to tell an entire story to make you feel satisfied. You want people to read the book, so I can’t tell the whole story.”

Ms. Gehrig said she didn’t cast actors in the trailer so that readers would remain free to picture the characters however they pleased. The one person who does appear is Mr. le Carré himself, sitting at a desk and looking concerned. He also provides the voice-over narration near the end.

Mr. le Carré may not be a recluse like Thomas Pynchon â€" who made a splash when he narrated the trailer for his novel “Inherent Vice” â€" but his presence in the video lends it a certain gravitas. His handwriting is also present. The pages that flit by are pages from the manuscript of “A Delicate Truth.”