Jack Strange's Blog - Posts Tagged "picaresque"

The Tale of Senyor Rodriguez by Lou Gilmond

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book gets off to a great start and doesn't let up. It almost creates its own genre. If I had to pigeonhole it, I'd describe it as a picaresque psychological thriller.

The first thing about the Tale that grabs you is the wonderful prose style. It's a joy to read, and you could enjoy it almost for the style alone. That's how good a writer Lou Gilmond is.

The second thing that pulls you in is the premise - or at least, the limited part of it the reader is privy to in the opening pages. You soon enough learn that the central character, Thomas Sebastian, isn't what he depicts himself to be.

Although he puts on a false front for the benefit of the people he encounters - particularly his stunningly beautiful neighbour Isabella - Sebastian is up front with you, the reader, taking you into his absolute confidence, writing with searing honesty about himself and his failings. Or is he? It turns out he's a somewhat unreliable narrator.

This tale is good at every level. It has engaging characters, is well-structured, and pleasingly unpredictable.

In short it's a great book and you need to read it.

A note about the publisher: time and again I find small presses putting out novels that are equally as good as, and often better than, those published by the big five. The Tale of Senyor Rodriguez is a standout example of this phenomenon.

Apparently none of the big five were willing to get behind it - which is a sad reflection of our times. That said, it's great that Fairlight Books exist, and that they've taken it on and given it the treatment it deserves. I can only hope it finds success. (Obviously its already successful the sense that the author and publisher have both achieved things with it they can be proud of - I'm referring to commercial success).

In closing I'm going to mention my one reservation about the story (please don't let this put you off- it's not as if the novel suffers from a serious flaw of any kind)..

My reservation is that I'm not sure about the ending. Other readers have commented on this. Some like it a lot, some don't It was a little too clever for my liking, a twist too far. But that's me. It was still a fine ending and this book is a joy to read. I'd recommend it to anyone with a love of books. So what are you waiting for? - Go out and buy it!

PS I actually bought this book and I can state with some certainty that it's worth the money.



View all my reviews