Out now in paperback: Waiting for Sunrise

    William Boyd's latest novel Waiting for Sunrise was one of my top books last year, and as it has just come out in paperback this is a good opportunity to talk about it again and to give away a copy! A slightly edited version of my original post on it follows, then below that are details for entering the draw.

   Waiting for Sunrise begins on "a clear and dazzling summer's day in Vienna [in 1913] in a skewed pentangle of lemony sunshine"; there is a "stirring of potential in the air, that possibility of audacity", a brightness that seems to bring with it hope and purpose. Then as the story unfolds, at different junctures and for different reasons, the main character is quite literally "waiting for sunrise", waiting for day to lighten darkness, and metaphorically waiting for dawning realisation, clarity, waiting to see clearly through the mist and murk of obfuscation, for all is not what it seems, and clouds have moved in front of the sun, casting doubt as well as shadow. For this reason as well as many others, the book's ending is particularly apt; will our man eventually find that elusive 'golden afternoon', or will his days be dark and dreich?

    As you'll have deduced from the above, this is a story about truth and lies, identity and re-invention, about trying to discover who is really who and what is what, and it's no coincidence that the novel's 'hero', Lysander Rief, is a young actor from a well known theatrical family, a man for whom disguise and assumed personality, 'front' and feints, are all part of his stock-in-trade, something he will rely upon heavily in the dangerous world into which he falls by chance.

    Lysander has gone to Vienna to consult a psychoanalyst about a sexual problem, and while Sigmund Freud himself appears in a cameo, Lysander's therapist Dr. Bensimon is a practitioner of Parallelism, an adjunct of Freudianism, a theory and technique he has devised to help his patients deal with trauma or neurosis by replacing their painful memories with a new 'reality'. (The author himself explains his invention in a brief video, and it's a remarkably plausible construct). While in Vienna undergoing treatment, Lysander becomes obsessively involved with an English sculptress called Hettie Bull, and it is this relationship which - as war in Europe becomes inevitable - leads him into a world of espionage and treachery, of intelligence-gathering and feats of derring-do.

    It's clear that meticulous research informs and underpins every stage, every layer of this complex book, and William Boyd is such a master at setting a scene, placing a telling detail, 'seasoning' his narrative with just the right amount of factual flavour to balance and ground the fictional substance of the text, that his material is beautifully shaped and works to fully support his plot. As well as being astute, inventive and intelligent, he's a writer with an instinctive feel for rhythm and pace and a gift for making the reader want to turn the page while still being fully engaged with the deeper themes of the book and the ideas behind them, so his stories just flow and it's pure pleasure - on several levels - to float along with them.

    This is a thrilling spy story and a portrait of Europe at a time of enormous change, a bildungsroman and a picture of the human psyche under pressure, a book springing from intellectual heft and virtuoso narrative technique, so no wonder it featured in my 'best of 2012' list.

                                                       ~~~~~

    I gave away a copy of the hardback last year and had great fun with that competition which played on the book's title. I asked everyone who wanted to enter the draw to leave a comment in answer to the question "What are you waiting for?", and the responses were super because they covered big, important, serious things, and simple, little everyday ones, so let's do the same again. There are no geographical or other restrictions, so to put your name in the hat just tell us what you're waiting for, and I'll draw a winner soon.

Comments

[rhonda]

For our next family vacation.sweet times.

[Abhishek Kumar]

I am waiting for the world to be a better place to live in, I am waiting for the days to be safe to roam again , I am waiting for the night to be calmer to dream again, I am waiting for the air to be pure to be breath again, I am waiting for the day when human stop killing each other and I am waiting for the day when human accept earth is for him and stop destroying her. But alas my wait is never ending as we are too blind to see the perils of our own actions.

[Ann]

Godot...

[LauraC]

Our tax refund.

[Moira]

A copy of "The Master and Margarita" from the library.

[Zs.]

A great opportunity - a job, a move, a happier place to live.

[Deborah]

...the first snowdrop.

[Pia]

Spring! Sunshine! It's a lot of snow, it's cold and no sunshine in this part of Sweden. It's depressing. Sunshine please!

[Sarie]

I think I was caught by one of those mobile speed camera police vans, so I'm waiting for a speeding ticket that I hope doesn't materialise!

[David Nolan (dsc73277)]

I love some of the answers you have received so far. One of the things I am waiting for is a William Boyd book with a satisfying ending. I've only read a couple so far, Restless (2007) and Ordinary Thunderstorms (2009). Both had me gripped, both seemed to promise much, and yet both ultimately left we wondering what the point of it all was. Yes, I know real life is like that. I don't always expect a Jane Austen style happy ending, but I do like some sort of resolution, even if it is only in the form of a series of questions or possibilities.

[Fifiquilter]

A new home in Edinburgh so that I can finally get my books out of storage! Yes, that was a daft thing to do.....

[Louise A.]

For our kitchen renovation to be completed.

[Freda]

More snow! ( a few flakes just now...)

[Ann]

For a new boiler.....! Ours broke down at the beginning of the week and after the walk we plan to do along the Thames Path tomorrow, mulled wine which I think will be justified in the circs!

[Dark Puss]

A better measurement of the spin and parity of the "Higgs-like" boson !!

[Dark Puss]

I hope you will love it as much as I do!

[Rosie H]

My daughter to learn to sleep better.

[Lila]

For a chance to see my grandchildren again!

[Mary]

To go up the Shard.

[Marcy]

to recover from Hurricane Sandy (22 inches of water in my house)

[Heather]

For James McAvoy to show up at my door.

[Sarah]

a fun day with friends this upcoming Sunday.

[Chris]

My son to finish his homework ... he's just rolled into the kitchen announcing he has to draw a poster before he goes to school!

[Alison P]

The inspiration to start some DIY. I know it will come soon but in the meantime, perhaps just a few more pages....

[Pandora]

I make jam for a living - I am waiting for 30 catering jars of strawberry jam to set!

[Riv]

I am waiting for spring. There is too much snow around here in Finland.

[Barbara]

Top marks to the person who said Godot.

Predictably, I'm waiting for the cast to come off my arm so I can resume normal life. I can't look any further ahead.

[Pippa]

Waiting for my sisters wedding in 2014

[Val]

Right now I'm waiting for the Hoover electrition to come and fix my new oven!

[Caroline]

Waiting for inspiration.

[Geraldine]

The visa office to decide whether I can continue to live in the country I currently reside in.

[Darlene]

The dryer to stop.

[Ann]

I'm waiting for spring. The time here in Texas between winter and summer is wonderful and I just love all the spring flowers.
Ann

[Alex in Leeds]

My garden to be full of itty bitty baby songbirds this spring. I miss their cheerful squeaking. :)

[Barbara MacLeod]

My 2 grandchildren to come out of their primary school. Time to head to Grandma and Grandpa's house for tea.

[Suzanne]

My four hens to start laying again, it is too cold at the momment, they use their energy to keep warm but i miss a fresh egg in the morning.

[carole]

To be well again.

[AnnP]

To see my granddaughter - she's now six months old but 12 hours flying away.

[Barbara]

I'm waiting for some warmer weather!!!

[Ann]

I'm waiting for someone to say "yes" to an interview for my sociology essay. It's due in a week. I'll panic tomorrow.

[Jennifer Dee]

A win on the lottery so that I can have my own library: although my daughter says that I already have one.

[Tracey]

The snow to stop so I can go out and get some potatoes!

[Carole]

I'm waiting for the wool that I soaked last night (to get the kinks out) to finish drying so that I can re-knit my scarf. I wore it for the first time yesterday but it was too long and not wide enough.
When I came to pull the wool back, I wished that I had not done such a good job of weaving in the ends!

[Catherine]

I'm waiting for my blue hyacinths to burst into bloom,then it will feel like Spring, even if the snow is falling outside.

[Rebecca]

To finish a (gift) cardigan I've been knitting for EVER. . . but since I am completely responsible for making that happen, I'll also add "and to go out to lunch with my beloved son" which is far less onerous!

[Judy]

For warm weather so I can sit in the garden and read.

[Helen]

Waiting for the Rocky Road to set just hard enough so I can eat it!

[Michele]

I am waiting for spring, with its green grass and warm sun on my face. Winter started here in mid-October, so it seems like a very long wait, and one that repeats itself every year. sigh

[Nancy]

Ohhhh, so many things - to see my toddler grandson in a few days - to my next trip to Rye UK - and _still_, to have a first trip to Scotland. I liked the lottery mention above, so maybe a lottery win to finance a trip! :-) Of course, I have to get out and buy a lottery ticket or two (always rely on Bill to do that).

[Deborah]

...a new grandson to arrive, mastery of metric conversions for a physics course, and the sun's return are a few of the many things I'm waiting for.