#88 ~ The Gargoyle

July 24, 2008 at 10:12 pm | Posted in Books | 7 Comments
Tags: Andrew Davidson, burn victim, car crash, debridement, mental illness, morphine addiction, past lives, schizophrenia, The Gargoyle, the power of love

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Death often brings about new life. After his near fatal car crash that left him permanently disfigured and emasculated by a significant amount of 3rd degree burns, the unnamed narrator of this novel spent a great deal of his lengthy hospital stay planning his eventual suicide. His life as a porn star and producer of adult films went up in smoke like his skin. He had no interest in making a new life after the death of his good looks and his livelihood – at least not until Marianne Engel, a patient in the hospital’s mental health unit, unexpectedly begins visiting his bedside and telling him how their lives have been intertwined now for several hundred years.

The Gargoyle follows the narrator through his hospital recovery and beyond in a compelling way.  While the narrator’s salacious past and gruesome present are fascinating, Marianne Engel’s stories are poetic, mystical, and engrossing.  I do not want to reveal too much of the plot here.  It’s best to go into this book knowing as little as possible. Just expect to go on a ride like no other.  One image that has not left me since reading this book is of the woman who stands watch for an hour each day by the edge of the cliff, never losing hope that her beloved husband will return.  I can smell the salt in the air as the breeze whips her hair about in the wind.  Her anguish makes that story of love all the more beautiful.  There is no down time in this book.  Each section moves the story forward.

Words cannot accurately express how intense and wonderful The Gargoyle is. From the first scenes of the unnamed protagonist’s fiery car crash to the conclusion, I was hooked into his world of burnt flesh and the possibility of a love strong enough to be tested by fire over and over again.  It was a pleasure to go to hell and back with Andrew Davidson.  This book is inspiring.  It will encourage its readers to write.  It will encourage its readers to come back again.  Trust me, you definitely must read this book.

*******

To buy this novel, click here.