Andrew Taylor

The American Boy
Publisher: Harper Collins
Paperback
2004

Andrew Taylor biography by Chris High

Nominated in the top ten reads of the year by Britain's highly regarded Richard & Judy Book Club, The American Boy is a work that evolves at a pace and, once started, is extremely difficult to put down.

Set in 1819, the novel is set around Thomas Shield, a poor and formerly disgraced schoolmaster, his acquaintanceship with the young Edgar Allan and the events in which they are quickly immersed. Soon after Shield arrives in London, all manner of events occur, including gruesome murder, that drag the two into a dark world of mystery and danger that will set the seal on Allan's destiny forever.

The novel is a delicate mix of the real and the fictional that holds an atmosphere very similar to that of Iain Pears' An Instance Of The Fingerpost. It is vivid in its description and the attempt at Olde English dialect that so often fails elsewhere, invigorates the dialogue here and makes the whole collection of scenarios both real and believable.

The tangled web that is woven to ensnare the reader, is unravelled with a delicate aplomb that does nothing more than satisfactorily tie up all of the remaining strands, with great skill, dexterity and surprise.

A novel of undoubted style, The American Boy fully deserves each and every plaudit it has received.

www.andrew-taylor.co.uk      www.linghamsbookshop.co.uk

“Chris - just back from France & I checked your site out - looks good, & thanks again for the review. ”
Andrew Taylor - author of 'The American Boy' .