The GargoyleAndrew Davidson
Another day, another notch in my reading resolution belt. I hope I don't jinx myself by saying that so far, I've enjoyed an unusually high number of excellent reads, and The Gargoyle was no exception. Although I had read some negative reviews on this novel, I ultimately loved it.
The Gargoyle begins as our narrator -- addict, pornographer, and all-around swell guy -- drives straight off a cliff, becoming a "Crispy Critter" in the process. (It should come as no surprise that he was highly intoxicated while driving.)
His recovery is long and painful, and for awhile, doctors doubted he'd he'd even survive. But survive he does, and soon he is visited in the hospital by Marianne, a patient from the mental ward. Marianne is not put off by our narrator's gruesome appearance, especially as it becomes clear that she knows him. Or at least she believes she does. You see, Marianne believes that she and the narrator share a love that has spanned lifetimes. Naturally, the two develop a friendship, especially since our narrator is hardly attracting friends to his bedside.
The Gargoyle follows the narrator's recovery, both his physical and emotional one. Marianne helps the narrator grow as an individual just as his doctors help the narrator cope with his burns. As the novel progresses, we learn more of their "past lives" (or, one might argue, Marianne's delusions). Davidson allows the reader to decide whether Marianne is delusional or not, but I prefer to believe her story.
The Gargoyle is not a slim book, but the prose is not overly dense and the story held me rapt until I reached the end. I found myself reading it at every opportunity, so engrossed was I. Every part of the story interested me: from Marianne's stories of their past together to the narrator's discussion of his treatment, it was clear by the attention to detail that the author did his research. We are treated to an intense look at the recovery of burn victims, as well as the physical, psychological, and emotional toll such a powerful change has on an individual. However, never did this information bog down the story.
In a nutshell: Entertaining, gripping -- all those hackneyed words. I loved every bit of it, and I couldn't recommend The Gargoyle more.
Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars
The Gargoyle begins as our narrator -- addict, pornographer, and all-around swell guy -- drives straight off a cliff, becoming a "Crispy Critter" in the process. (It should come as no surprise that he was highly intoxicated while driving.)
His recovery is long and painful, and for awhile, doctors doubted he'd he'd even survive. But survive he does, and soon he is visited in the hospital by Marianne, a patient from the mental ward. Marianne is not put off by our narrator's gruesome appearance, especially as it becomes clear that she knows him. Or at least she believes she does. You see, Marianne believes that she and the narrator share a love that has spanned lifetimes. Naturally, the two develop a friendship, especially since our narrator is hardly attracting friends to his bedside.
The Gargoyle follows the narrator's recovery, both his physical and emotional one. Marianne helps the narrator grow as an individual just as his doctors help the narrator cope with his burns. As the novel progresses, we learn more of their "past lives" (or, one might argue, Marianne's delusions). Davidson allows the reader to decide whether Marianne is delusional or not, but I prefer to believe her story. The Gargoyle is not a slim book, but the prose is not overly dense and the story held me rapt until I reached the end. I found myself reading it at every opportunity, so engrossed was I. Every part of the story interested me: from Marianne's stories of their past together to the narrator's discussion of his treatment, it was clear by the attention to detail that the author did his research. We are treated to an intense look at the recovery of burn victims, as well as the physical, psychological, and emotional toll such a powerful change has on an individual. However, never did this information bog down the story.
In a nutshell: Entertaining, gripping -- all those hackneyed words. I loved every bit of it, and I couldn't recommend The Gargoyle more.
Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars
7 comments:
Hmm. At the start of the review I thought to myself 'not my sort of thing' but as I kept reading I may have changed my mind. Except for the part where you said it wasn't a slim read :)
I liked THE GARGOYLE a lot.
I'll add you to my Blog roll.
Daggonit! Everyone is making it so hard to hold off on this book! I really want to wait until the paperback, but truly I don't know if I can. When I first heard about this I didn't think it was my kind of thing, but the reviews have been so universally good that I'm beginning to feel as if I have not choice. The fact that you liked this book so much is just another nail my coffin. Sigh...
Anyway, I hope your great reading streak lasts! =)
Call me a sicko, but my personal favorite was his suicide plan....
Loved this book, not too shabby for a first novel....
I'm surprised there aren't more books about how grave injury can change a person's self-image, whether it's visible once healed, or not. Sounds like I've got to read this one.
Most of the reviews I've read of this have been quite glowing. I just hope the hype monster doesn't get me, but I am looking forward to reading it this year.
I bought this today on a whim so it is nice to hear some good things about it!
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