Gabriel's Moon

I saw this recommended in a newspaper’s ‘Best Books for Summer Reading’ list and it took me by surprise. It is – as you’d expect – beautifully written and completely gripping. Yet afterwards, when telling a friend about it, I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly I’d found it so unputdownable. I just knew it had been brilliant to read and definitely worth 5-Stars.

Despite the sticky label on the spine of the library book, I wouldn’t describe Gabriel’s Moon as a thriller. It’s an espionage novel, certainly, but the plot glides along at such a measured pace it was as if I was floating along a river. Nothing much was happening, but the weather and scenery was beautiful and the story had me in its thrall. Very relaxing.

It’s London in the early 1960s and Gabriel Dax, the protagonist, is a travel writer, living in a small flat, making a reasonably good living from his books and articles. The story opens with him in “the newly independent republic of the Congo” where he is interviewing the Prime Minister, Thibault N’Danza. The interview was a surprise, arranged by a friend of Gabriel’s, and N’Danza is wary and a bit suspicious. He insists the interview be recorded, which it duly is. Gabriel likes the man and the conversation goes well, so he returns to London and offers the interview to a newspaper. The editor promises it will appear in a Sunday issue but when it doesn’t and Gabriel calls to find out why, he’s told that N’Danza has been sacked from office and is under house arrest.

A short while later Gabriel is approached by a woman called Faith Green, who bluntly tells him N’Danza is dead – killed by firing squad. Green works for MI6 and, after a fairly short conversation, she asks Gabriel to do a small courier job for her, visiting an artist in Spain to bring back a signed drawing. So simple, so straightforward, but it’s the first step into a world of spies, double-crossing and duplicity that Gabriel is neither prepared for or understands. Behind it all lurk the tape recordings of the N’Danza interview and you, the reader, sense the pressure building and the unnamed forces coming into play as you watch the story unfold. The growing tension doesn’t make you breathless but it’s always there.

My verdict
As I’ve said, I find this novel hard to describe, but goodness it was great to read! And I was delighted to find that Gabriel’s Moon is the first book in a series about Gabriel Dax. I’ve now chased down Book 2 (The Predicament) which was published last year and Book 3 (Cold Sunset) has just been published. So, lots to look forward to.

You won’t be surprised to learn that Gabriel Dax has had a troubled life. As a young boy his mother died in a house fire, which he was lucky to survive. His older brother, Sefton, had escaped because he was at boarding school and the boys had then been brought up by different relations. Gabriel is still haunted by the fire and is a serious insomniac, which adds more tension to the story as he struggles to manage his sleeplessness and nightmares. Sefton is a presence but floats on the edge of the tale.

I thought this novel was beautifully written. William Boyd’s prose and descriptions are clear and precise so you can absolutely picture the places and people he's writing about in your mind's eye. Nothing is overdone and everything feels real.

This is a quiet story with some shocking moments. Gabriel deals with what’s thrown at him quite admirably and reveals a hidden ruthlessness once or twice. If you’re a fan of Le Carré you will probably enjoy this, so do give it a try. Apologies for not making a better fist of telling you about it, but it earned 5 Stars from me.
Review by: Cornish Eskimo