A wonderful novel made even better in audio

Alan Carlson did a great job making this authentic and engaging. Brilliant narration, character performance and consistent audio production. A tough task making this already visceral novel even more real.

After being blown away by William Boyle’s upcoming release, A Friend Is A Gift You Give Yourself, I was compelled to read his other work so I went back to where it all began, admittedly with trepidation, fearing it wouldn’t live up to that screwball noir masterpiece. Whilst Gravesend has a very different tone, pace and feel, it definitely doesn’t disappoint and I can fully understand why it was met with such accolades on its original release.

Gravesend is told from a third person multi-viewpoint and we are first introduced to Conway D’Innocenzio. Conway is taking shooting lessons with his friend McKenna in preparation for the release of Ray Boy Calabrese who has served 16 years in prison for his part in the events leading to the death of Conway’s brother Duncan. Conway has a pent up anger which has burned within him for the years Ray Boy has been in prison and Conway plans to exact revenge. When he tracks down Ray Boy at his old family home, he is met by a broken man, a shadow of the cocky young man full of ego who had gone to prison all those years ago. Here’s where Conway’s inner battle begins, a need to do his brother’s memory justice fighting a mind and body who resists.

Next we meet Alessandra who returns to Gravesend from Los Angeles to look after her father following the death of her mother. She arrives back following her failed attempts to reach the big time as an actress to find her home town hasn’t moved on since she left. Alessandra has few friends left in town but needs a drink so seeks out an old acquaintance, Stephanie, who has lived a sheltered life to that point. Alessandra takes Stephanie out to a local dive bar and drinks too much, Stephanie remaining sober as her whole life has been to that point. Stephanie quickly idolises Alessandra and perceives her as a sophisticated soul for having moved away. Stephanie works with Conway who has always held a torch for Alessandra but Alessandra has her sights set on Ray Boy despite his past. The relationship between Alessandra and Stephanie begins on an uneven level but as events develop so does their relationship and I found this a really strong part of the story.

Eugene is Ray Boy’s angry young nephew who hates everyone and everything in a Holden Caulfield inspired way. Eugene sees the old Ray Boy and wants to be his protégés, with dreams of a gangster lifestyle but when things don’t develop the way he had hoped, he attempts to invent himself, desperate to be taken seriously.

One of the main characters in this story is the town of Gravesend itself. With its dark underbelly, it holds on to people and draws back those who have left. I really felt a sense of place as a result of Boyle’s masterful prose which let the town tell a story of its own without over indulgence.

The pace of the book smoulders, allowing the characters to develop and build with the story then speeds up once each of them has made their mark, culminating in a fantastic final few chapters. I found myself deeply drawn into the characters and each are fascinating. I particularly liked the way Eugene developed and Alessandra, like many of Boyle’s characters, has the potential for a future stand alone plot line of her own.

Gravesend is a dark and gritty novel which delves deep into the soul, examining the spiralling nature of revenge, anger and excess. I wholeheartedly recommend it to all literary crime fans.

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