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A review by manwithanagenda
The Bloodstone Papers by Glen Duncan
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
'The Bloodstone Papers' is the first book by Glen Duncan that I've read without the extra draw of the supernatural, but it was no less compelling once I'd given it a chance. A teacher approaching middle age making ends meet with bar-tending and writing cheap romances, nurses a broken-heart and is trying to write the book, the story of his parents' courtship and life in India just before and after its independence. Their story is told in alternating chapters, covering how they grew up and giving an important picture of India under the British Empire. 'Burmese Days' and 'A Passage to India' don't give much attention to those permanent products of 'the Raj': the Anglo-Indians.
Duncan's writing can be densely descriptive, and, frankly, a bit much, but he's so honest and willing to dig into the uncomfortable, uncertain facts and emotions head-on - it didn't take me long to get pulled into the story even if some of the surface elements: sadsack failure of one protagonist, boxer for another, etc. didn't seem like my cup of tea. But I got involved, because Duncan is a sophisticated storyteller. Duncan uses his author-protagonist to consciously draw parallels between himself and his father and on the importance of storytelling and the idea of destiny. This is a great piece of modern fiction.
Duncan's writing can be densely descriptive, and, frankly, a bit much, but he's so honest and willing to dig into the uncomfortable, uncertain facts and emotions head-on - it didn't take me long to get pulled into the story even if some of the surface elements: sadsack failure of one protagonist, boxer for another, etc. didn't seem like my cup of tea. But I got involved, because Duncan is a sophisticated storyteller. Duncan uses his author-protagonist to consciously draw parallels between himself and his father and on the importance of storytelling and the idea of destiny. This is a great piece of modern fiction.