The Gargoyle

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

read May 2010

Where do I begin? I didn't like this book AT ALL when I first started reading. It is sooo disturbing. The main character in the story gets burned nearly to death in a horrific car crash. He's a porn star who is raised by his meth-head aunt and uncle. He's driving drunk. It's such a downer! And the details of the car crash are just....absolutely....horrible.

But I kept reading. And OMG I'm so glad I did! I couldn't put this book down. I even took it to work with me and read it while at stoplights on my way to work. While this guy is recovering in a hospital, he meets this mentally ill woman (Marianne, a gargoyle sculptor) who claims that they were lovers in a past life....700 years ago. All the while he's recovering, Marianne tells him stories of their love. She tells stories about the plague, Vikings, Italian mercenaries, 13th century convents, etc.... It's just an amazing book, with all kinds of imagery and themes that I'm just not smart enough to explain intelligently.

I read that the author was given a $2 million advance for this book, which is his first novel. Well, it was worth it. Hands down the best book I've read in 2010.