The Gargoyle

The Gargoyle

By Andrew Davidson

Cover Description: The narrator of The Gargoyle is a very contemporary cynic. physically beautiful and sexually adept, who dwells in the moral vacuum that is modern life. As the book opens, he is driving along a dark road when he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows. He crashes into a ravine and suffers horrible burns over much of his body. As he recovers in a burn ward, undergoing the tortures of the damned, he awaits the day when he can leave the hospital and commit carefully planned suicide - for he is now a monster in appearance as well as in soul.
A beautiful and compelling but clearly unhinged, sculptress of gargoyles by the name of Marianne Engel appears at the foot of his bed and insists that they were once lovers in medieval Germany. In her telling, he was badly injured mercenary and she was a nun and scribe in the famed monastery of Engelthal who nursed him back to health. As she spins their tale in Scheherazade fashion and relates equally mesmerizing stories of deathless love in Japan, Iceland, Italy and England, he finds himself drawn back to life - and finally, in love. He is released into Marianne's care and takes up residence in her huge stone house. But all is not well. For one thing, the pull of his past sins becomes ever more powerful as the morphine he is described becomes ever more addictive. For another, Marianne receives word from God that she has only 27 sculptures left to complete - and her time on earth is finished.

The Gargoyle is a surprising and sincere love story. The characters are raw and honest and tell a story that transcends time. The different love stories of the past interwoven between the present time horrors are powerful and compelling. I wanted more than anything for this novel to have the happy ever after ending but I guess a true love story is not complete without heart wrenching moments of utter tragedy. Trust me The Gargoyle is filled with both moments of incredible love seeping off the pages and agonizing pain and suffering that make you cringe while reading. The balance between love and hate, fire and water was perfect written and executed. Loved it!

Oh and I really want the angel wing tattoo now.