The Gargoyle
by Andrew Davidson
Published by Doubleday (August 5 release)
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
A drug-addicted porn star drives off the road and is hideously burned and disfigured in the ensuing crash. After weeks in a coma, he awakes to find himself a monster. His life is ruined. His business is lost, his looks are gone and even his manhood has been taken from him by the fire. The only thing left is to carefully plan his suicide.
But at the depths of his despair Marianne Engle appears at his hospital bedside. Marianne is a sculptor of gargoyles, a bit ‘crazy’ and claims to be 700 hundred years old and the former lover of the narrator. She begins weaving stories, beginning in Germany where she was a nun, and tells him their history. And even though the narrator is drawn to Marianne, he believes her, as she helps him with his rehabilitation, to be mentally ill. But he puts aside his beliefs about who she is because he is drawn into her stories that span many different eras of history.
As the narrator dares to fall in love with Marianne, her stories and work on her gargoyles becomes more frenzied. Her divine mission she says is to set free her many hearts (through her stonework) until only the last one is left.
The Gargoyle is larger than life. It is a fast-moving plot, with characters that you like, those you dislike and some you will never understand. The novel is dark, harsh, cruel, yet gives one hope through the redemptive power of love.
The novel’s beginning is difficult, but I would ask that the reader persevere, because the rewards are great. Davidson’s strength is in his ability to seamlessly weave together the different story lines. They all are compelling and show the depth of his research.
Davidson’s story leaves the reader much to think about for many hours, days, weeks, and perhaps on into the indefinite future. The Gargoyle is unique and left me breathless and shaking my head. It’s simply my favorite book of 2008–and that says a lot.
Armchair Interviews says: Read it! You will be drawn in to Davidson’s world and you will pray for another novel written by him.