- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Orbit (14 Nov. 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0356507416
- ISBN-13: 978-0356507415
Synopsis
South Africa, 1884. William Abbey, an English doctor, watches white colonists lynch a Zulu child. As the boy dies, his mother curses William: wherever he goes, the shadow of her son will follow him. It will never stop, never rest. It can cross oceans and mountains. And if it catches him, the person he loves most in the world will die . . .
But to those in power, William’s curse might be a blessing, and as the world slides towards war, William must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in order to survive.
Review
The Pursuit of William Abbey cleverly mixes historical fiction, mystery, espionage, folklore and a touch of the supernatural which make this book such a fascinating and unique reading experience. William Abbey is sent to South Africa by his father after getting into trouble in London. He works as a doctor in a small town and it is there he witnesses the lynching and terrible death of Langa a young Zulu boy, by the townspeople. Langa’s mother curses him for not stepping in to help her son, and he spends the rest of his life followed by the shadow and seeing the truth in men’s hearts. If Langa catches up with him, someone William loves will die. This idea of reading the truth in peoples hearts is seen a a blessing by some and a weapon by others. William must decide how he wants to use this skill, and what he must sacrifice in order to survive. William tells his story to nurse Sister Ellis at a military hospital in Paris in 1917, where he is working as a doctor treating those injured in war. Surrounded by death, he tells his story and explains what has brought him to France and this hospital at this time.
The first thing that grabbed me about this book was Claire North’s beautiful and skilful writing style. This is a complex novel at times but the prose flows freely, engages and makes this such an enjoyable read. The Pursuit of William Abbey takes the reader around the world and to nearly every continent as William journeys through life, always on the run from Langa’s shadow. Claire North’s writing is like a paintbrush, she details the colours, sights, smells, and peoples of these foreign lands enabling the reader to see what William saw and feel what he felt. As a character William grew on me through the book. In London he trained as a doctor but spent more time gambling and on women than studying. South Africa, Baker town is meant to be his punishment but is a den if iniquity in its self, so he can again continue in his ways. Once cursed he has decisions to make, not all I agreed with, but he spent his life outrunning his shadow so no-one he loved would die. Because of this he could never allow himself to love another person, and led a fairly lonely life, having to deal with knowing the truth of the heart from those people he met; their secrets no longer secret. I did feel some sympathy for William always having to be on the run, never being able to settle for long and not being able to form relationships.
This book opens up so many discussion points and serious issues. Traveling around the world William visits many of the British Colonies where his skills are used to to learn many secrets. Claire North doesn’t shy away from the harsh truths of colonialism and certainly doesn’t paint it as all sweetness and light. The British treatment of its subjects in those places was terrible, the use of military rule and having a sense of superiority was shocking in parts. Another interesting point was William’s curse of seeing into peoples hearts, seeing their truths. William sees this as a curse, but others like him see it as a gift. It is something that can be used for good of for evil, telling truths can help people, but it can also be used for blackmail and espionage. The wider question is the human right to have secrets, keeping thoughts to yourself and not always telling the truth can be of benefit in certain situations. How the different truth-tellers use their curse is fascinating and thought provoking.
The Pursuit of Wiliam Abbey is one of the most intriguing and original books I have read in a long time. I loved the combination of historical fiction with espionage and supernatural, it made for a fascinating and compelling read. Claire North really brought the different settings and characters to life and showed great understanding of the human psyche, the fears, secrets and dreams we all hold dear. This is a book that once read will not be forgotten and will continue to have you thinking about it and the subjects raised long after you finish it. A captivating, shocking and beguiling read that I highly recommend.
I would like to thank Orbit Books and Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for inviting me to part of the blog tour for this fabulous book.
