Gabriel's Moon (2024) is the fifth William Boyd novel I've read since Brazzaville Beach (1990) took my breath away. If you're looking for a novelist you can depend on, end your search. Among novelists I've been newly exposed to since leaving the full-time work world, few have thrilled me as consistently as Boyd. He is a masterful storyteller and gifted prose stylist with an exceptional feel for setting.
"The river was gunmetal green, despite the pale blue, cloudless sky. It was deep, the Congo, and whatever the sky above, azure blue or lowering grey, its color never really changed."
Gabriel's Moon, told in two acts, has London-based travel writer and reluctant spy Gabriel Dax moving from Leopoldville to Madrid to Cadiz to Warsaw to Rome, each locale coming alive in Boyd's capable hands. I was particularly struck by his depiction of Madrid, having coincidentally just spent a few days there in mid-March on vacation.
"... a kind of agreeable melancholy suffusing the dark, brown, shabby streets ... grand squares and plazas ... proudly situated with their huge, palatial, ornamented buildings ..."
Some years back, I suggested to my brother-in-law that he might enjoy Waiting for Sunrise (2012), my second exposure to William Boyd. He did and has subsequently sent me five novels by this modern-day master, including Gabriel's Moon and the previous novel I finished by Boyd - Solo (2013). Because of my brother-in-law's generosity, I've still got three sure things waiting on my bookshelves. Cool.
I enjoy Boyd's work a lot and Gabriel's Moon was no exception. I got started with Any Human Heart, which is terrific, and continued on from there. As your quotes above attest, he can be lyrical without being a showoff,, but it his insights into his characters minds that makes him stand out.
ReplyDeleteJim; Thanks for the comment. "Any Human Heart" is in fact one of the three unread Boyd novels on my shelf waiting to be gobbled that I referred to in the final paragraph of my post.
DeleteHello Jim!
ReplyDeleteHaven’t read Boyd but the recommendation coming from both of you has me interested. Taking a walk to the library shortly and will pick one up. BTW, I love having a library in walking distance…with benches outside overlooking the Navesink.
I am on a tear to read all novels by Gwendoline Riley. Just finished FIRST LOVE.
Cookie; Thanks for the comment. I'm pleased you're considering giving William Boyd a shot. I'd be curious to hear your reactions to his work - here or offline - if you finish one of his books. And BTW, one of my main objectives starting this blog 15 years ago was a hope that people might connect (virtually) via a door I helped open. So, I'm thrilled you gave a shoutout to Jim here, acknowledging his endorsement of Boyd; made my day.
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