ISBN: 978 1 84195 815 6Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
Website: www.canongate.net
Copyright © Albert Sánchez Piñol 2005
Translation Copyright © Mara Faye Lethem 2008
Pages 441, Hardcover
(An Early Reviewer Book sent to me by Canongate Books through LibraryThing for my review).
A story in two parts. In fact a story about writing a story, and the actual story. Firstly, the narrative of Tommy Thomson, his life in London as a fledgling ghost writer, the people in his life and his dreams of writing "a great book", and secondly the adventure written from Thomson’s prison visits with Marcus Garvey, a man awaiting trial for double murder.
The plot twists and turns, WWI happens (almost as a slight annoyance), and then the story continues to its not entirely unforeseen climax. Piñol moves the reader seamlessly between Thomson and Garvey’s stories, from London to the Congo, then back again and also through time, without the pause for thought that can sometimes happen with this strategy.
There is a flavour of Jules Verne or Edgar Rice Burroughs to the writing especially those sections relating to the journey through the Congo, which in my opinion is intentional by the author, possibly with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. It worked for me.
I enjoyed this book enormously. It was humorous, puzzling and downright sinister in places, I shall most certainly be buying Piñol’s previous book and probably his next one too.
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It does sound good. I have a friend whose girlfriend has an aid job in the Congo so I am sure he would enjoy it too.
ReplyDeleteWell I hope she never comes across anyone like some of the characters in this book that's for sure. Though it is set in 1914 I guess.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I didn't go for that one as it didn't really seem my thing, wish we had more choice in the UK though...
ReplyDeleteKeep up the non smoking, fellow Brummie LTer. I know ever such a good hypnotist if you need him.
Yes only three for the UK this month, I wonder if I'll get one, seems like an awful lot of people going for such a few copies.
ReplyDeleteIf I need a hypnotist I'll let you know, I'm doing pretty well though up to yet.