Predicament – William Boyd / The Things We Never Say – Elizabeth Strout
Way back in October I wrote about Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd, his was a new venture for the author. I really enjoyed the story and eagerly awaited the second book in the promised trilogy. Amazingly I held back until the paperback came out but it took some self-control!
Gabriel Dax is the reluctant spy who has become rather inadvertently involved with MI6 and as everyone knows, there is no way out of this situation. In ‘Predicament’ we are in 1963, the Berlin Wall has been up for two years, Europe is in the depths of the Cold War and President JF Kennedy is about to visit West Berlin and give his most famous speech. Gabriel discovers a plot to assassinate this magnetic and most illustrious of visitors and it is a fight against time to find the sniper. Who knows, maybe something like this actually happened. It is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Leaving the secret service aspect to one side, there is a slight comedic feeling to these stories and I think this is mainly because the writer is blatantly having such fun. The plot is faultless and the characterisation excellent but I can imagine William Boyd having the suggestion of a wry smile on his face as he describes Gabriel’s life. When left alone he (Gabriel) is a travel writer, happily exploring far away rivers and settlements, perfectly happy until his M16 handler Faith Green disturbs his life, and his heart, once more.
When in London we are firmly in Chelsea, on the Kings Road and the pubs round about. In the early sixties this was the place to be. The area was definitely ‘with it!’ (to use the vernacular of the time.) It must have been quite a task to ensure the setting was historically correct. A lot has happened and changed since those times. In the story it is the lack of quick and reliable communication that is most noticeable. Remember telegrams and having to go to a phone box?
William Boyd is the most erudite of writers with an admirable vocabulary. I rarely have to look up words but I do if I’m reading his books. Of course I look the word up on my phone. I wonder how long it is since I opened a dictionary?!
The Times describes ‘Predicament’ as being ‘extravagantly enjoyable.’ I absolutely concur.
‘The Things We Never Say’ by Elizabeth Strout is the latest book by one of my favourite writers from America’s east coast. If you have read several of these stories then you are probably familiar with her two most famous characters: Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton. Neither appear in this book, very unusually, but geographically we have not strayed, we are still in and around Massachusetts and Maine.
This book is very new, indeed new enough to make clear and firm references to the last American election and the polarisation that resulted. The author explores how people are careful when framing a conversation until they know each other’s political views. This is a thread that runs through the story, all without ever mentioning that name!
Artie Dam is Elizabeth Strout’s new character. He is well rounded and perfectly believable. He is a successful and well liked teacher. He loves his wife and son and has an enviable lifestyle but all is not as it seems. We only allow others into parts of our lives don’t we? And, if we appear to ‘have it all,’ how impossible it would be to open up and say that no we are not alright actually. Nobody could see how isolated Artie feels himself to be and this feeling was exacerbated by the politics of the day. Had the world gone mad he wondered … or was it him?
Then, one day Artie learns a secret that throws his life into deeper confusion. It is a family secret and an old one. How had the years passed with his friend and his wife keeping this from him? How should he continue with this knowledge eating away at him? Does he have to hold onto this secrecy or should he tell his wife he knows? Would this action make things better or worse?
Elizabeth Strout writes with confidence and insight about grief, comfort and family relationships. She is an astute and compassionate observer of the human condition and matters of the heart.
Happy Reading