The Pursuit of William Abbey

4.5★s

"I know the truth of men's hearts, and what I know is that they are right, every single one of them. They live within the power of their own rightness, and anyone who disagrees with them can only be wrong, and being wrong, they are therefore less. That is what I know, and it terrifies me."

The Pursuit of William Abbey is the sixth stand-alone novel by award-winning British author, Claire North. Banished to South Africa by his wealthy father, Dr William Abbey is (poorly) practicing medicine is a small town in late 1884 when, after an inhuman act of cowardice, he is cursed. He watched as a white mob tortured a Zulu boy and, upon his death, the boy's mother visited a life-long curse on William: the shadow of the boy will follow him, always.

He soon discovers that if Langa's shadow catches up, the person most beloved by William dies and quickly understands he must flee. But a side effect of the curse is the ability, when the slowly-shuffling shadow is gaining ground on William, to know the true thoughts of those around him. He is a truth-speaker. Certain agencies see this as a beneficial attribute: William suddenly finds himself in the service of Her Majesty's Government.

They have the resources to help him outrun Langa's shadow, as long as he's willing to use his special ability to their advantage. In doing this, he discovers there are other truth-speakers. He seeks them out, in hope of a cure, but not all see it as a curse, considering it instead, a blessing, a gift.

In 1917, in a field hospital in France, as she watches him sit vigil with a wounded soldier, Sister Ellis begins to understand that Dr William Abbey was very probably not sent from HQ, but is there for another reason. He seems to know her heart and, in the early hours, he explains the long and convoluted path that has led him there.

North's characters, despite their flaws, are easy to invest in. William freely admits to being a coward, although occasionally proves the contrary in a tale not devoid of heroic acts: the most heroic actor will likely be a surprise to readers. The most despicable, too, is will only gradually be revealed as that. For the rest of the cast, when Langa is close, the swamp of truths from those around him that fill William's head give the reader a multitude of lives: some as detailed vignettes, some just snippets, and a generous dose of history.

What an amazing imagination Claire North has! Again, a cleverly plotted tale that is well-thought out, utterly riveting and thought-provoking, a perceptive commentary on empires and how they use their power. North gives her characters a wealth of insightful observations on human nature. Brilliant, as usual.