Book Stop Corner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“First the priests arrive. Then the conquistadores.” 





Michael Arditti, an English writer, has penned a thoroughly riveting thriller The Breath of Nightthat takes the readers not only back in time but also to a beautiful and exotic destination of the world, Philippines, where a young priest travels to Manila to find out exactly what happened to his would-have-been-uncle-in-law, who went to Manila to become a priest and years later getting killed on the hands of a communist party.




Synopsis:

Julian Tremayne is a missionary priest in a remote Philippine village during the Marcos dictatorship. After championing the Communist rebels, he finds himself imprisoned for the murder of a local military commander. Three decades later, following his own mysterious death, a cult develops around Julian and there are calls for him to be made a saint. When Philip Seward is sent out to investigate on behalf of Julian's family, he is drawn into a labyrinth of vice, violence and corruption where nothing and nobody are what they seem. Enriched by a gallery of engaging characters ranging from priests to prostitutes, GIs to gangsters, tribesmen to terrorists and street children to Imelda Marcos, Michael Arditti's outstanding new novel is at once a gripping psychological thriller, a challenging moral mystery and an unforgettable voyage into a dark and exotic landscape.


One slight correction, this story is not a psychological thriller, it's more of general mystery or rather say more of a historical fiction.

Philip Seward reaches Manila on request of his dead girlfriend, Julia's, mother, to investigate the death of Julia's Uncle Julian who went to Philippines in the late 70s to become a priest, which he becomes successfully but on this journey he not only gets involved with the teachings of Christ and local folklore, but also gets involved with Philippine's fragile and corrupt politics, that had given him instant celibacy among the local people of Philippines. But he was then arrested by the local authorities on a false crime against him, later he had to return to his country England and when he again went back to Manila, he was killed by the communist rebels, till then people have noted miraculous sightings of Uncle Julian.

The story sways between two time frame one in the recent years and another in the late 70s/80s era, where the past is depicted through Julian's letters addressed to his mother and father in England, and the present time moves with Philip's investigation of the past. Although at times, it will take bit time for the readers to adapt from one time period to another as each of the chapter stretched it's wings deep into the roots of the story.

The writing style is articulate with a steady pace. The narrative is engaging and free flowing and is layered with Philippine language and vocabulary. The prose is nostalgic as Philip moves right along with Julian's each historic moment in his life mentioned through his letters. With the use of impressive words in to the storyline, hence it will feel like reading a literary novel rather than reading a thriller.

The characters are etched out with perfection and vividness. Both Julian and Philip somehow felt similar with their beliefs and thoughts and with their outlook on the negative/corrupt things of life. Philip is determined and at times his witty narrative will keep the readers connected to this character which the author have strongly developed by laying out his past and present in front of the readers. Julian is fine one with some strong beliefs, always reflecting as well as living by the missionary rules and teachings.

Julian and Philip both together brings out the dark side of this exotic country which was left paralyzed not only by the war but also by it's own corrupt people. And this is where I felt the book put me off since I expected the descriptions about Philippines would be vivid like a painting instead the author chooses to show his readers only with the grim side. The background might not be the strong aspect of the book, but the author manages to blend in with local Philippine culture, language and food habitat to layer his storyline. And yes at times, I could smell the sweetness in the air of Manila.

There are lots of other supporting characters those are localities of Philippines and they keep the funny side up in the story, not only that they even brought out the real color and story of Philippines, how they are surviving amidst of poverty.

There is mystery which keeps on building till the end until the author surprises the readers with a strange climax that honestly I did not see it coming and it felt satisfying in the end with such a revelation. The story might not have been able to captivate me, but it surely did compelled me to pay a visit to Philippines.

Verdict: Historical fiction fans will love to read this book and if you want to taste an exotic destination, the do grab a copy of this book.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Michael Arditti, for providing me with a copy of his book, in return for an honest review. 
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Author Info:
I was born in Cheshire and educated at Rydal School, a small public school in North Wales with a rich tradition of choral music, which I loved, and rugby, which I loathed – as a contemporary aptly remarked: ‘I’m not sure what the spirit of Rydal is, except that it’s oval.’

I read English at Jesus College, Cambridge, my choice of college dictated largely by the prospect of being taught by the celebrated critic, Raymond Williams. Williams however, although officially my director of studies, had by then grown so disillusioned with teaching that I met him only twice during my university career.

I in turn grew disillusioned with my course and devoted all my time to extracurricular activities, writing for the student newspapers, Varsity and Broadsheet, and directing at the student-run ADC theatre. Among the plays I directed were Peer Gynt, The Duchess of Malfi, The Taming of the Shrew, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Edward Bond’s The Sea. I also took a production of The Tempest on a European tour. Despite my neglect of my studies, I learnt a lot and would endorse the comment of the narrator-figure in my novel Unity that the purpose of a university education is ‘the pursuit of knowledge in the company of friends’.
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