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A review by theaurochs
The Pursuit of William Abbey by Claire North
5.0
Claire North is on excellent form in this thoughtful, powerful and gripping novel.
She's also back to writing in full sentences again (mostly). I'm aware that her jagged, broken-train-of-thought style prose was not to everyone's favour in her last few, but it's definitely toned down here, and given that it is used more sparingly, it seems more effective when it is employed.
The book is a frame narrative- we initially find ourselves in a hospital somewhere near the front lines of the first world war. The titular Abbey appears at this hospital, and begins to tell his story to one of the nurses stationed there. And so we find ourselves thrown back to the lat 1800s, and immersed in a world of European espionage, great powers clashing against each other and grinding the general populace down between them.
That's where the heart of the book really lies, and also where it strikes most profoundly. How can we keep serving a society that we know is doing harm? That is disenfranchising and destroying anyone who is deemed as 'other'? What part can we play in it; can we change it from within; can we even change it from without- if so, how? These are all questions raised and examined throughout the narrative, with North's trademark observational skills and intriguing style. What truths do we tell ourselves in order to keep going?
Truth is another core concept here; with the main character (and others throughout) being cursed with the power of truth; being able to see the hearts of other people and find their personal truths. It is another great gimmick, like the powers found in North's other novels, and again is defined well enough to be compelling but with enough ambiguity left as to still be intriguing. The truths range from the mundane worries people carry up to national secrets, and William Abbey is employed to wrench them from the minds of foreign officials. The concept is well explored, to lots of its logical conclusions; but allows us to take a fantastic tour through turn-of-the-century Europe and beyond meeting a host of well-defined, awfully human characters.
The book also says that the ultimate value of these truths, and The Truth, are open to debate. Even when faced with absolute truths about themselves and their enemies; the great powers of time are unmoved, unchanging in their course. People only ever really want to hear things that confirm the truths they already know; and very little will change that.
North as always is passionate both in her love of and despair of humanity; the themes and ideas are incredibly timely despite the period setting, and her imagination is wonderful.
She's also back to writing in full sentences again (mostly). I'm aware that her jagged, broken-train-of-thought style prose was not to everyone's favour in her last few, but it's definitely toned down here, and given that it is used more sparingly, it seems more effective when it is employed.
The book is a frame narrative- we initially find ourselves in a hospital somewhere near the front lines of the first world war. The titular Abbey appears at this hospital, and begins to tell his story to one of the nurses stationed there. And so we find ourselves thrown back to the lat 1800s, and immersed in a world of European espionage, great powers clashing against each other and grinding the general populace down between them.
That's where the heart of the book really lies, and also where it strikes most profoundly. How can we keep serving a society that we know is doing harm? That is disenfranchising and destroying anyone who is deemed as 'other'? What part can we play in it; can we change it from within; can we even change it from without- if so, how? These are all questions raised and examined throughout the narrative, with North's trademark observational skills and intriguing style. What truths do we tell ourselves in order to keep going?
Truth is another core concept here; with the main character (and others throughout) being cursed with the power of truth; being able to see the hearts of other people and find their personal truths. It is another great gimmick, like the powers found in North's other novels, and again is defined well enough to be compelling but with enough ambiguity left as to still be intriguing. The truths range from the mundane worries people carry up to national secrets, and William Abbey is employed to wrench them from the minds of foreign officials. The concept is well explored, to lots of its logical conclusions; but allows us to take a fantastic tour through turn-of-the-century Europe and beyond meeting a host of well-defined, awfully human characters.
The book also says that the ultimate value of these truths, and The Truth, are open to debate. Even when faced with absolute truths about themselves and their enemies; the great powers of time are unmoved, unchanging in their course. People only ever really want to hear things that confirm the truths they already know; and very little will change that.
North as always is passionate both in her love of and despair of humanity; the themes and ideas are incredibly timely despite the period setting, and her imagination is wonderful.