The Raabe Review
After reading The Gargoyle, my first thought was that nothing could possibly top it. After 44 years (I started early) of reading anything I could get my hands on, including Moby-Dick, reading Andrew Davidson’s debut novel made me feel as if I were done. The Gargoyle had it all – all I’d ever wanted or needed from a book. My next thought was how on earth was I going to review it? Simply put, it’s complicated.
The book opens with a terrific car crash, landing the driver, who remains nameless throughout the story, in a hospital covered in first- to fourth-degree burns. A former drug addict and porn star-turned-adult film-producer, the protagonist/narrator is a hero you would hardly expect to care about. He is sarcastic, dark, cynical and somewhat ungrateful. Yet, Davidson finds a way to subtly redeem him with his skilled and magical pen, drawing comparisons to The Inferno along the way. By the end of the book, you will probably like the foul-mouthed pornographer who initially cursed those who saved him, and you might even admire him.
While in the hospital, our unlikely hero is visited by a psychiatric patient, Marianne Engel, who believes that they were meant to cross paths. In fact, she believes they have met before – in a previous life. Officially diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic, Engel entertains with story after story that span lifetimes and cross boundaries. Her tales alone will have you turning pages quickly, but Davidson’s clever weaving of the stories into our hero’s recovery, and subsequent life with Engel, will have you shaking your head in amazement. However, Marianne Engel is not just a storyteller. She is an artist who carves gargoyles out of stone, and creates beauty out of something dark, giving life to that which seemingly has none.
The Gargoyle’s characters are rich and knowing, the imagery breathtaking, the voice and rhythm unfailing. Andrew Davidson spent seven years researching and writing The Gargoyle, and it paid off in more ways than one. Not only is it already an international bestseller ( and deservedly so), but the manuscript purportedly ended up in a high-stakes bidding war after the initial $1 million offer was turned down by Davidson’s agent. This is his first novel, which can only be good news for him – and readers everywhere.
According to the publisher, The Gargoyle will “have you believing in the impossible.” But whether it brings you full circle or answers your questions with more questions, one thing is certain: The Gargoyle has the power to restore one’s faith in literature for the 21st century.
Publisher: Doubleday, 480 pages
Available August 5, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-385-52494-0
RELATED LINKS:
The Gargoyle Website (Burned by Love)
Publisher’s Website: Doubleday
BURNED BY LOVE videos
NYT Papercuts
Discussion
12 thoughts on “The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson”
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The Raabe Review 
Sounds amazing!
Posted by Rose City Reader | 21 June, 2008, 9:05 pmI truly believe we read a bestseller. I’ve emailed back to doubleday to get a couple more books sent to people I know will love it. It is truly a spectaclular read, and even more incredible being his first novel!
My review of it: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/the-gargoyle-by-andrew-davidson/
Posted by thekoolaidmom | 22 June, 2008, 6:10 pmThanks, mom. You did a fine write-up on the book.
Posted by draabe | 23 June, 2008, 10:51 pmSounds like an interesting read, but certainly one you would need to brace yourself for.
Posted by Gretchen Lee Bourquin | 24 June, 2008, 1:07 amA review so close to perfection, the book must deserve it. I’m game. Each year I look for a book I can give at Christmas, and recommend at my own book events (my readers always ask what I’m reading). Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead, and this year it was The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson. Thanks for the tip.
Posted by Sarah Collins Honenberger | 24 June, 2008, 9:55 pmA postmodern encounter perhaps to rival that of Dostoyevski’s “The Grand Inquisitor.” Gives new meaning to the biblical allusion “Who do you say that I am?” Overlooked in our age of viral video is the power of fiction & imagination to expand the psychological categories of self & other in the quantum fields of light & outer darkness.
Posted by Kingston Kaprinski | 26 June, 2008, 7:32 pmI actually had two copies of Gargoyle, both with different covers. The one I gave away is the one shown on my blog, and the one I read is the cover here. I liked this one better. It was cool having Marianne’s back on it. Which is the one on the released book?
Posted by The Kool-Aid Mom | 27 June, 2008, 10:39 pmOoh. This sounds really good. I’ve added the book to my Amazon Wish List.
Posted by bluelyon | 2 July, 2008, 3:34 amKool-Aid,
The US cover will be the one shown here.
Posted by draabe | 5 July, 2008, 10:39 pmgood review Diana. I will have to read this one, it’s a promise.
Posted by chris wiegard | 24 July, 2008, 7:47 pmGreat thoughts on the book. I’ll definitely add a link on my post. I’ll be keeping an eye on your site.
Posted by thatsthebook | 2 April, 2009, 8:14 am