Book Review: "Ordinary Thunderstorms" by William Boyd

When I said I was binge-reading William Boyd, I wasn't lying. As you can see, this blog is still going regardless of when (a few days ago) I stated that I had a momentary lapse of judgement in which I was about to shut it down forever. I have taken a hiatus before but this was different. This felt entirely different - almost like it was depressing. It's not happening though. As I have said, I bought myself some nice coffee, a pizza and watched a movie. I thought about it long and hard and decided that some mental clarity was a good idea because shutting the blog down was most definitely a bad idea. At the moment, I'm between a couple of novels and have decided that Saturday is the best day to write about them until the cows come home mainly because I am more than exhausted when I get home from work. Hopefully, our schedule of every day will not be disturbed. Let's take a look at this book then...

he story centers on Adam Kindred, a climatologist who has just returned to London after several years abroad. His life takes a dark turn following a seemingly innocuous encounter, which spirals into a web of intrigue, danger, and moral dilemmas. This reminds me of a William Boyd novel called Sweet Caress because of the way morality and the past comes into the mix so quickly. Even though we stil get that classic slow burn beginning, there is a quick drop into the story which I think was a great difference that I am not used to and yet, it works so well.

Adam’s life changes when he meets Dr. Philip Wang at a restaurant. After Wang suffers a fatal wound from a violent altercation, Adam's attempt to help quickly turns into a nightmare. He is wrongfully implicated in the murder, triggering his desperate flight from the police and the shadowy figures behind Wang’s death. The similarities between this and the strange twists within Sweet Caress are huge and yet, I still love the great amount of tension that is presented by the initial openings. Sweet Caress starts slower - this novel however, creates a great amount of atmospheric pressure early on and this is only the very beginning. There is a lot that needs to happen yet.

As Adam goes underground, he experiences a stark contrast between his former life and the brutal realities of homelessness. The novel paints a vivid picture of London’s hidden corners, showcasing both the city’s vibrant life and its darker, more dangerous elements. This is where the complexities behind William Boyd's picture-painting come in. He is a master of description and being able to create a deep, philosophical connection to the imagery, something you can really immerse yourself in. When William Boyd writes realism you can really see and hear everything happening.

The narrative delves into the operations of Calenture-Deutz, a pharmaceutical company embroiled in ethical controversies. Adam uncovers a plot related to an asthma drug, Zembla-4, that has sinister implications, raising questions about the lengths corporations will go to protect their interests. This is something I have not yet seen in a William Boyd novel before: a strange conspiracy in which the main character will get a whole new look on morality and ethics. This definitely means that the reader will be invited to take a look at it with them, but not everything that is the right thing to do is strictly speaking moral or ethical. This again, is one of William Boyd's great talents and can also be seen in the uncoverings we see in the novel The Blue Afternoon.

The novel captures the theme of isolation in a bustling metropolis. Despite being surrounded by people, Adam experiences profound loneliness and disconnection. Boyd highlights how easy it is to fall through the cracks in society, making poignant observations about human connection and the fragility of life in a big city. It is something really quite new of him because there is a lot more philosophical concentration. I cannot bring myself to describe how intense this novel is even though it is not his best (in my opinion). There is a lot to love because it is similar to some of his other novels and yet, it is something entirely different.