Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd
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Gabriel’s Moon
William Boyd
Viking/Penguin Random House
Review: Karen Watkins
This spy novel begins on a humid day in Léopoldville during the 1960s Cold War. Young successful travel writer Gabriel Dax gets the opportunity to interview Patrice Lumumba, the prime minister of the newly independent Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Flying home to the bustling streets of London, he encounters one coincidence after another, leading to rumours of the assassination of Lumumba. One month later, the rumours are confirmed. Lumumba was murdered after giving a speech denouncing the country’s former colonial power, Belgium. That and the fact he was linked with Russia. The involvement of the West in Lumumba’s murder forms the backdrop to Gabriel’s Moon.
Unable to shake off the news, Dax becomes a reluctant spy, leading him to exotic locales in Spain, Russia and communist Poland. As his investigation unfolds, he navigates a treacherous landscape of double-crossing spies.
With a blend of wit and historical resonance, Boyd weaves the heroic fictional character into cloak-and-dagger manoeuvres of history.
Meanwhile, Dax’s personal demons add a tragic backdrop. But it is Lumumba’s presence that looms large over Dax’s journey, shaping the political intrigue, personal dilemmas and intimate struggles.
Other characters include Dax’s alluring girlfriend Lorraine and the manipulative Dr Katarina Haas and Faith Green. Each of them, whether friend or foe, adds layers to Dax’s story, propelling it forward with tension and intrigue.
While I was not moonstruck by Boyd’s lack of adherence to the conventions of traditional espionage thrillers of a bygone era, the historical drama, psychological depth and wry humour made for a captivating read.
Boyd was born in Accra, Ghana, in 1952, and grew up there and in Nigeria. He and his wife Susan have a house in Chelsea, London, but spend most of the year at their chateau in Bergerac in south west France, where Boyd produces award-winning wines.