The Gargoyle: a Debutant Novel by Andrew Davidson

Book Title: The Gargoyle
Author: Andrew Davidson
Translators (Indonesian Version): Ary Nilandary
Publisher: Publisher Kantera
ISBN: 978-979-1924-01-6
Prints: I, June 2009
Thickness: 605 pp
Price: $ 89,900
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A Porn Star who was at the peak of his career in the traffic accident, his car into a ravine and caught fire. Fortunately, though tepanggang with his car and the fire burns the skin, flesh, to penetrate into the bone and tendons, his life was saved.

Once past the critical period and a coma for two months, she finally realized. But he must suffer the consequences of burns all over his body. Handsome face and athletic body that is the main capital as a pornographic film actor has gone, replaced with a broken face, and full body permanent scars that can not be lost. In addition to losing several fingers and toes, he also he must be willing to lose the penis kebanggaanya burned down. The doctor who saved his life had successfully defended his penis that resembles crispy charred burnt wick.

All this makes her self-esteem destroyed. His career as an actor and producer of pornographic films already finished. Therefore when he went through a variety of remedies and various therapies a painful operation, he secretly planned to commit suicide after discharge from hospital.

Amid the push to end his life that came a woman named Marianne Engel, a sculptor Gargoyle (yg monster statues usually serves as a gutter in old buildings) which was then being treated in the same hospital suffering from schizofernia. The woman claimed to have known him since seven hundred years ago. He approached the man and said: "You've burned again."

During his hospitalization Mariana Engel frequently visited and little by little to tell their love story in the past. He revealed that they actually have to live within the bonds of love for hundreds of years ago. In his past life, in the 14 th century, Mariana Engel was a nun in charge of copying and translating books on skiptorium monastery Engethal, while the actor porn is a mercenary. They met when the man who was wounded and burned by flaming arrows stuck in his body was brought by his friend to the monastery Engethal for treatment.

Just like in his past life, Mariana Engel is now caring for the man to recover. All fees are borne and hospitals from the hospital after he took the man to stay at his house. As long as they live together, Mariana Engel keep telling their experiences in life through his past. He also tells the tale of love a beautiful, inspiring, and full of sacrifice on the man.

In his past life, Marianne Engel had almost terengut his life to save the man. But in the midst of sakratul death he was given the opportunity to live with a condition. He was given a heart that must be thousands of distributed until they run out, while the final heart must be given to his girlfriend in his life later on.

In her life now, Mariana Engel gave a heart-heart on gargoyle statues are doing. Hundreds of statues have been done and now its time has almost run out, to whom he would give his last heart?

Through their love story in the past, and five tales of love that inspires the diuturkan by Marianne Engel, makes him get back the spirit of his life. Intention to commit suicide had vanished. Marianne Engel sacrifice the lives of both his past and present who care and who have been receiving disability itself is what makes a man caught in the vortex flow of love.

Is Marianne Engel and the man actually had lived for seven hundred years? Is this crazy fantasy that Marianne had been treated for his schizofernia? These questions that may arise in the mind of the reader for reading a compelling novel is stout. It seems the author deliberately did not provide clear explanation on this and let it be a mystery and gives freedom for the reader to interpret and develop their own imagination.

By engaging writer invites readers to travel through time, moving from mid-century and contemporary. Visiting various nergara such as Germany, Japan, Italy, Iceland, England, and the most interesting is the way to Hell as depicted in Dante Alighieri Inferno.
This novel combines the story of sacrificial love with this piece of history, philosophy, and the nun's life complete with skiptoriumnya. Then mentioned also about the history of reproductive Bible in German, the history of publishing and translation of the monumental work of Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri.

All this proves that the novel is done with a very deep research. Some medieval characters and several accompanying events really exist and happen. In addition readers also get a bonus of knowledge about burns and medical treatment. Various materials makes this novel great potential to broaden his audience.

The author also expertly turn the hero characters in this novel interesting. Both Marianne Engel and the man received the same portion in the depth of character. With patience and detail the author describes the background of these two characters from childhood until now complete with the inner struggles they face. All this makes the reader get the full picture about the characters and the story built in this novel.

Manifold aspects of the material, stories, and time leaps from past to present the reader must of course make a little more concentration in reading this novel, not to mention plus inserts some tale of true love which is spoken by Mariana Engel on the man. Fortunately the displacement of time, setting, and presented with a neat story that the reader aware of the story time and where they're located.

Powerful love story, this piece of medieval history, the characters interesting characters, and elements of the medical treatment of burns in this novel are mixed in such a way that presents an interesting story and it's hard to forget. No wonder if Andrew Davidson's first novel was immediately successful when first published in 2007. In addition to the Fist won the 2008 Fiction Award, this novel is also included in several best-seller lists such as the New York Times Best Seller, Publishers Weekly Best Seller, the Canadian Best Seller, etc.. Will this novel successful in Indonesia?

A very good translation, an attractive cover and a vigorous campaign of course required for this novel can also be read by lovers of literature and a best seller in Indonesia. Andrew Davidson's name may still seem strange to hear fiction novel lovers in Indonesia therefore very unfortunate on the translation issue not included any information about the author.

About the Author

Andrew Davidson (born 12 April 1969) is a Canadian-born author graduated from the University of British Columbia jusrusan English literature, he has lived in Japan and worked as a teacher and author of Home lessons for Japanese Web sites. The Gargoyle is the first novel written in-depth research for seven years. The novel was first published in America by publisher Doubleday in 2007, then followed by Random House in Canada, Canongate in the UK, Text in Australia, etc, Davidson now lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

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reviewed by H Tanzil
visit his book blog at http://bukuygkubaca.blogspot.com