The Amnesiac by
Sam Taylor
pbk out March 07
(Faber)
at £12.99
James Purdew's memories of the past are incomplete. His attempts to discover what
happened during three 'lost years' form the basis of a dazzling and memorable novel
by a writer of considerable distinction. Bit by bit, James discovers fragments of
information, but is bewildered by the paradoxes and contradictions that he encounters.
A mysterious assignment results in his moving into an oddly familiar house, and when
he strips paper from the walls, he comes across chapters from a weird nineteenth
century crime novel which resonates with his own past. There is much to enjoy in this
book, not least the outrageous explanation for the contents of an envelope containing
a group of letters which is delivered to the house. Taylor plays games with the
conventions of the detective story – and that can itself be a dangerous game. But he
gets away with it through sheer bravado. Recommended.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
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The Amnesiac by
Sam Taylor
