The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

 

I’ve seen so many great reviews about this book and have been intrigued for so long, but nothing prepared me for how incredible the book was and how terribly graphic the detailed description of the protagonist’s burns were.

 

And guess what?! I read more than 400 pages before I even realized that the protagonist/narrator was never named. That’s how engrossing the book is!

 

There are many stories within this book, but I believe the main theme is about beauty and how it is only skin deep. The thing about the protagonist is that he used to be beautiful before he got burned.

 

He had smooth, beautiful skin, and handsome features, an amazing body that he used to please the many women who found him attractive… but he was ugly inside. He was an unhappy, self-centered, manipulative, hedonistic bastard.

 

Then he got burned, and he became the ugliest man he could possibly be on the outside. Burn scars everywhere, on his face, on his body, his hair burned off, his features misshapen, his limbs burned or cut off… and he was still an insufferable bastard.

 

But he meets a mysterious woman, who claims to have known him many centuries ago, and she tells him stories, about other people, about who he used to be when they knew each other before. He thinks she’s crazy, but she’s the only friend he has, since all his friends deserted him after he turned into a gargoyle, so he tolerates her, and he listens to her stories.

 

As time goes by, the protagonist slowly becomes a decent human being. Davidson writes the protagonist’s change almost as if he was a butterfly emerging from his cocoon. His metamorphosis is due to the mysterious woman who stays with him and tells him stories, but there is more to her than meets the eye too, as we find out further in the book.

 

I devoured this book completely! From the moment I read the first sentence, it was almost impossible to put down, and although there has been a lot of positive response to the book, I wonder why it’s not more popular! If I had a book club, I would definitely recommend reading this book for it, it would be great for discussion! What a fantastic read!