Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
What can I say about this book? If I see a new Guy Gavriel Kay book on the shelf at the bookstore, I buy it. It didn’t work out this time, though, and the reason is that the way this story is told makes no sense to me as a reader, and I cannot fathom why Kay wrote this book from the perspective of a teenager.
The story is about a fifteen year-old boy from Canada who accompanies his father, a world-renowned photographer, on a trip to Provence (southern France). Very quickly into this trip, the characters get caught up in a centuries-old love triangle contest to win the love of Ysabel, which has been waged between a Gaul and a Roman for over 2000 years. The book is short enough that summarizing the plot further will spoil it completely.
What is good about this book? Kay’s lyrical style has always enthralled me, and I must say that it shone through in several parts of the book. The descriptive passages put me in Provence, and I could almost smell coffee and French cigarettes at times, and feel the strong Mediterranean sunshine. The fantasy part of the book was typical of Kay’s historical fantasy style, but it could have used much more explanation. Kay’s research, as always, is impeccable. The historical detail that I expected was present throughout the book.
What did I not like about this book? I was severely let down. I have read every novel that Guy Gavriel Kay has done, but Ysabel was truly disappointing. The telling of the story from the teenager’s point of view did not work. It seemed juvenile instead of new, like the idea of a new writer doing a coming-of-age novel. The dialogue was appropriate, but that may be what I didn’t like, because it was teenagers talking. Also, the mixing of the modern world and the fantastic and magical of Gallic France didn’t work for me. There is a direct tie-in to Kay’s brilliant Fionavar Tapestry, but it was not done in a way that I liked. My overall impression was of a book that was quick. Quickly planned and quickly written, and published more-or-less as a filler between Last Light of the Sun and whatever great Kay novel will come up with next. Perhaps this was a short story that was turned into a novel, but there was not enough plot to go around. The characters were similarly superficially explored. There was also great potential for digging into a family dispute going back decades that was resolved a little too easily.
I am keeping this book, merely to keep my Kay collection complete, and I give it two stars for the good bits. Don’t buy the hardcover, unless like me you want a complete Kay collection. Buy the softcover for a quick beach read and wait for Guy Gavriel Kay to return to form with his next book.
ANGUS BICKERTON practises law in a small town in Eastern Ontario. He lives with his wife, their two youngest children, and their black lab in a 160 year-old stone home, which also holds his law office. He has become, through inadvertence bordering on negligence, an expert in money-pit properties, and in do-it-yourself repair and construction. He has always dreamed of writing novels, but so far he has only self-published a play about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ entitled The Gate.
This is a shame to hear. I have not read any of Guy Gavriel Kays books yet, but I do have one on my shelf to read for 2010. I have heard so many wondrous things about the books. I will have to remember this for when I get to the point of looking for another book by this author. Sorry to hear the book didn’t work for ya. Thanks for the review.
Melissa, this is the only GGK book that I can say this about. I eagerly await his next release. Tigana, The Lions of Al-Rassan and the Sarantine Mosaic are among my favourite books. Not so with Ysabel, but its not a bad read for all that.