The Gargoyle Review

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson is a novel about romance, friendship and great adventure that seeps into the world of fantasy allowing two worlds two mix together as the same story is told both in the past and present. The book represents the debut novel of writer Andrew Davidson and was quite well received, having its review posted in The New York Times by critic Janet Maslin.

The book begins with the car crash of the leading male character. His importance is evident but the author has simply decided that his name does not have the same significance. This could actually be a metaphor that he, the Burned Man as Davidson calls him in the book, transcends reality and passes from this world to another. The only quality that remains of him is the fact that he is and was, as is demonstrated by further reading, burned. This is actually the link between this burned man and the one in Marianne Engel’s description.

Marianne, a psych patient suspected of having Schizophrenia, tends to the Burned Man and tells story after story of what she believes are her memories from a long-lost past, centuries ago. Marianne and the Burned Man were once lovers and the beauty of the book is that the author concentrates on turning the past or Marianne’s false memories into present fact.

Reviews of The Gargoyle have been made by readers and critics all over the world after the success that the book was released to. This is Andrew Davidson’s first novel, but the 7 year long research and planning have made it what it is today. Gargoyle reviews are mostly positive and talk about the complexity of the plot, the intelligently built journey in time and the rich characters that live within it, all factors which maintain the reader curious and offer great pleasure in reading.