Trio, William Boyd

 

Trio by William Boyd is a book that was recommended in the readers review of The Guardian.  The reviewer was so passionate that it compelled me to add it to my list.

Started: 2/24/2021
Completed: 2/27/2021
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By: A reader of The Guardian

Words for which I sought help:

Battenberg Cake -- a light sponge cake with different sections held together with jam.  The cake is covered in marzipan and, when cut in cross section, displays a distinctive two-by-two checked pattern alternatingly colored pink and yellow.

lubricious -- offensively displaying or intended to arouse sexual desire

vertiginous -- causing vertigo, especially by being extremely high or steep

Review:

The way that the three characters interact and develop over the course of Trio is really good.  Boyd does a great job of finding ways to tell you about the characters through their actions rather than through external monologues.  The characters are compelling and Boyd does not seem obsessed with tying up every loose end.  Some minor plots develop and then disappear, some major plots have several possible "endings" that are not explored in the book.  I enjoyed it and would recommend the book to anyone who is interested in a character based story.