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#88 The Gargoyle
The Gargoyle
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.
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To buy this novel, click here
July 24, 2008 | Filed Under Books
Comments
8 Responses to “#88 The Gargoyle”
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Katherine
Posted: Jul 24th, 2008 at 10:18 pm1Reply to this comment.I’ve heard some really great things about this book. Thanks for the review!
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Devourer of Books
Posted: Jul 24th, 2008 at 10:23 pm2Reply to this comment.I’m glad you liked it. It was so mesmirizing! This is going to take the book world by storm.
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Marg
Posted: Jul 27th, 2008 at 6:12 am3Reply to this comment.The Unshelved comic has this as their book for this week. I have to admit that I am getting more and more interested in this book!
Click here for the comic
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Literate Housewife
Posted: Jul 27th, 2008 at 8:25 am4Reply to this comment.Katherine and Marg, I cannot recommend this book enough. You’ll love it. And thanks for the tip about Unshelved!
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readerville
Posted: Jul 27th, 2008 at 12:16 pm5Reply to this comment.Glad you loved it as much as I did! I’m giving away my ARC as a contest in <a href=”http://readerville.wordpress.com” Readerville if you know anyone who might like to enter.
Also, thanks for the compliments on post about My Life as a Mix Tape. I just loved that book and couldn’t help but compile my own music memories.
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Melissa
Posted: Aug 18th, 2008 at 12:29 pm6Reply to this comment.I just finished this one this weekend and loved it too!
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pingback:
Posted: Nov 30th, 2008 at 8:28 pm7The Sunday Salon Savoring Reading « The Literate Housewife ReviewReply to this comment.[...] of Water, The Thirteenth Tale, The Other Boleyn Girl, Innocent Traitor, The Witch’s Trinity, The Gargoyle, and The Kite Runner had similar affects on me. I even miss the reactions I’ve had with [...]
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pingback:
Posted: Mar 16th, 2009 at 10:48 pm8Get Out the Vote! : literatehousewife.comReply to this comment.[...] since reading The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, I’ve been a big fan. A big enough fan that I could not keep silent when [...]
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