The Pursuit of William Abbey is yet another fantastic and thought provoking read by Claire North. Opening in 1917, France, against the backdrop of World War 1, Dr William Abbey tells his unnerving story to Sister Ellis as the gunfire outside draws ever closer, alongside the shadow of Langa, the young boy cursed to follow William wherever he goes.

William’s story begins in 1884 in South Africa, in the tiny town of Natal. He watches, too scared to even move, as a gang of white colonists lynch Langa, a young Zulu child, to death in front of him. Langa’s mother, distraught with grief, curses William as her young son takes his last breath in her arms. As a privileged white man, William stood by and did nothing as Langa was brutally murdered. And now he must pay the price.

From that day forward the shadow of Langa has followed him wherever he goes, never stopping, not even for a minute. It can cross oceans and mountains, never tiring in its mission to haunt him for the rest of his days. And if it catches him? The person he loves most in the world will die.

William is now a truth-speaker, someone who can see into the souls of others, but not into his own. He can see deep inside their hearts, knowing exactly who they are. As the shadow of Langa draws ever nearer, William sees the truth inside of people, the feeling becoming stronger as Langa approaches, allowing him to see the deepest, darkest secrets they hold within their hearts. If Langa reaches Abbey and touches him, the person he loves most in the world will die, repeating over and over again until everyone William holds dear is dead. The shadow of Langa will haunt him forever, so William must live a lonely life, trying to outmanoeuvre the curse of a vengeful mother, doing all he can to protect those he loves.

But what is a curse to him is seen as a blessing by those in power, and now William must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in order to survive. There are others with the same curse as William, but not everyone sees it as the curse it is, but more like something that can be used to their own advantage. William is not a brave person, but his new role as truth-speaker opens his eyes to the world around him and enables him to see beyond the outward exterior and into the hearts and souls of the people he encounters on his dark and lonely journey.

There is so much more I could say about this fascinating and complex story, but to do so would give too much away, and this is a story you need to read and discover for yourself. It’s a beautifully written and intricately crafted book that takes you on a harrowing journey of mystery and suspense, the tension always there, bubbling away beneath the surface as William’s thought provoking story unfolds before you.

I loved everything about this book. Claire North is such a talented writer, her words drawing you in and painting a vivid picture of the world William Abbey finds himself in. I had no idea what to expect when I started The Pursuit of William Abbey. All I knew was the small amount of information the blurb outlined and that it was by an author whose previous work I have loved, but it completely blew my expectations out of the water. The author is a born storyteller and I ate up every word of this devastatingly brilliant book.

I don’t give star ratings on my blog, but if I did The Pursuit of William Abbey would easily surpass the most stars I could possibly give. What a cracking read! Highly recommended.

This book was very gripping and powerful, I really enjoyed it.
It kept me turning the pages, and it's quite thought-provoking. The worldbuilding was the strongest feature of the book, I felt like I was in it. I also loved the character development, they were very strong and real.

Definitely recommended.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this copy.

The Pursuit of William Abbey cleverly mixes historical fiction, mystery, espionage, folklore and a touch of the supernatural which make this book such a fascinating and unique reading experience. William Abbey is sent to South Africa by his father after getting into trouble in London. He works as a doctor in a small town and it is there he witnesses the lynching and terrible death of Langa a young Zulu boy, by the townspeople. Langa’s mother curses him for not stepping in to help her son, and he spends the rest of his life followed by the shadow and seeing the truth in men’s hearts. If Langa catches up with him, someone William loves will die. This idea of reading the truth in peoples hearts is seen a a blessing by some and a weapon by others. William must decide how he wants to use this skill, and what he must sacrifice in order to survive. William tells his story to nurse Sister Ellis at a military hospital in Paris in 1917, where he is working as a doctor treating those injured in war. Surrounded by death, he tells his story and explains what has brought him to France and this hospital at this time.

The first thing that grabbed me about this book was Claire North’s beautiful and skilful writing style. This is a complex novel at times but the prose flows freely, engages and makes this such an enjoyable read. The Pursuit of William Abbey takes the reader around the world and to nearly every continent as William journeys through life, always on the run from Langa’s shadow. Claire North’s writing is like a paintbrush, she details the colours, sights, smells, and peoples of these foreign lands enabling the reader to see what William saw and feel what he felt. As a character William grew on me through the book. In London he trained as a doctor but spent more time gambling and on women than studying. South Africa, Baker town is meant to be his punishment but is a den if iniquity in its self, so he can again continue in his ways. Once cursed he has decisions to make, not all I agreed with, but he spent his life outrunning his shadow so no-one he loved would die. Because of this he could never allow himself to love another person, and led a fairly lonely life, having to deal with knowing the truth of the heart from those people he met; their secrets no longer secret. I did feel some sympathy for William always having to be on the run, never being able to settle for long and not being able to form relationships.

This book opens up so many discussion points and serious issues. Traveling around the world William visits many of the British Colonies where his skills are used to to learn many secrets. Claire North doesn’t shy away from the harsh truths of colonialism and certainly doesn’t paint it as all sweetness and light. The British treatment of its subjects in those places was terrible, the use of military rule and having a sense of superiority was shocking in parts. Another interesting point was William’s curse of seeing into peoples hearts, seeing their truths. William sees this as a curse, but others like him see it as a gift. It is something that can be used for good of for evil, telling truths can help people, but it can also be used for blackmail and espionage. The wider question is the human right to have secrets, keeping thoughts to yourself and not always telling the truth can be of benefit in certain situations. How the different truth-tellers use their curse is fascinating and thought provoking.

The Pursuit of Wiliam Abbey is one of the most intriguing and original books I have read in a long time. I loved the combination of historical fiction with espionage and supernatural, it made for a fascinating and compelling read. Claire North really brought the different settings and characters to life and showed great understanding of the human psyche, the fears, secrets and dreams we all hold dear. This is a book that once read will not be forgotten and will continue to have you thinking about it and the subjects raised long after you finish it. A captivating, shocking and beguiling read that I highly recommend.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to review this title from the moment it appeared on my radar.

Like an endless sea, this remarkable work of fiction does not cease to ever end in scope and engagement as one reads through the 400+ pages. Hopes, dreads, dreams, and desires of a lifetime of every facete imaginable will be touched on in this journey of The Pursuit of William Abbey. Not a country in the world, not a shore unexplored, no historical events within its premise missed, nor a stone left unturned will bereft the reader the enduring, yet fleeting travels of the haunted soul residing within the pages of this novel. But William Abbey is not the only one on this voyage, this race from death to save loved ones and humanity. We are part in this effort too. Will it be enough?

Evil comes in all shapes, forms, and sizes. Sometimes it can be experienced with either our senses or remain inherently hidden deep down in our souls while our conscience turns a blind eye. The famous parody of the devil and the angel on the shoulder whispering sweetly to garner persuasion is a classic. Though it isn't always our actions that get us in trouble. In the case of William Abbey, it was his inaction that was his fatal mistake.

Born in London as the youngest of seven children during the reign of Queen Victoria, William chose to become a doctor against the whole and sound moral path set out by his traditional parents. It was an exciting time to be a part of the studies in medicine with the rise of knowledge in science and technology, though in the field and on the streets, it looked a lot more like dread and suffering as William finds out soon.

"But the dying will tell their stories. Prostitutes who could not feed themselves, let alone their children, torn from the ward to another night's work not hours after birthing a child. Mangled limbs crushed on factory floors; women with faces ripped in two by flesh-gnawing sulfur. Children coughing tar from the chimney stacks; bursts of the pestilence that swept through eight-to-a-ton tenements faster than a man could sneeze. Faced with this, I longed to escape my patients entirely and the reality of their suffering. When I had money to spend, I spent it on bad drink with Plender and flowers for beautiful, unobtainable women, and it was my pursuit of the latter that banished me from England."

Now banished in Natal, Africa, in 1884, William finds himself in a brothel that spawns every disease imaginable when he witnesses the lynching of a Zulu child by the white and powerful elite outside in the town. The fantasies of becoming a hero in the event to intervene and save the boy did not even cross his mind, never even occurred to him. A coward act he regrets for the rest of his life in the chase by the ghost boy who was killed and whose mother spoke a curse most powerful.

"She spoke in isiZulu, or at least I thought she did. She did not move as she spoke, nor do I think she blinked. She did not drop the knife wet with her son's blood, or point or howl, or catch the moonlight in her fingers. She did not laugh, nor fall down in a fit, or foam at the mouth. She looked me in the eye, and with her gift she put the curse upon me, and I knew it, and could not name it, felt cold of it crawl up from my feet to my ankles, ankles to my knees, all the way up my body if the earth had grown fingers of icy bone that now pushed with will alone into knuckle-deep hollows of my flesh.”

“Then it was done, and both her stare and the ice let me go, and I realized that my whole life I had known nothing of anything and that only truth I had my heart was ignorance.".

From this day forward, Langa comes for him with his limp, injured boy shuffle and seeks to kill everyone William has ever truly loved. Creepy, scary, unremorseful he will follow William to the end of the world to never let him forget what he has done by not doing anything and he terrorizes him with the insurmountable heavy-weighted truth of world corruption and the black hearts of its inhabitants.

The novel proceeds to travel around the world as William tries to outrun his pursuer. Along the way, he meets violence, death at close call countless times, and experiences hardships and loss, but there never will be rest for the wicked. A vicious cycle of corruption ensues and never ceases to run out no matter where in the world he is.

Sweeping over all continents, William can see the truth of people's hearts and he is not alone. A circle of other Truth-speakers becomes known and 'enslaved' by governments to use as spies and play out political intrigues to add to the plot of the novel. Themes in socialism, communism, anarchism, and nationalism add to the turmoil and world unrest, historically exploring moral character, (in-)justice, (in-)equality, liberty, and freedom. Readers will encounter disasters like the San Francisco earthquake, mining accidents like at Rolling Hill, worker strikes and poor immigrant working conditions in the early days of the US, tunnel collapses, opium trades, the discovery of radium and on and on the range of international incidents and intrigue continue as the novel goes on.

There is much to be learned from the wisdom imbued by the story. It isn't all a negative endeavor. The scenes are set in-depth, richly against the plot backdrop. William's character serves as a reflection of human flaws wretched deep and the arduous growth it takes to see openly and be open-hearted to love, to be vulnerable and to judge and hate less.

As William isn't immune to feelings despite his distaste at the truth of the world, he longs to love and be loved. He meets his match and she is a Truth-speaker as well, but fate will not allow for their love to commence, or does it? With a race to the cure of all evil, it is left in the stars for the reader to find out what happens.

Many interesting characters and historical figures enter the plot and leave their footprint on this path of destruction. Some are brilliant and insightful, others are as evil as they come. Multicultural aspects feel authentic and whisk the reader through exotic, intoxicating places that leave the flavor of wonderful travel behind. As the saying goes:

Overall this novel has a tremendous reach in complexity, is a remarkable book to read and an even greater feat to write. It is difficult to describe it with high and low points or arcs as it is mostly steadfast and concise. North's writing holds strong throughout and is lyrical at the same time. The thought-provoking content will captivate and allure to the brilliant wisdom within. A 'truth-speaking' if you will with the insight of heart and mind, border lining exceptionalism in talent and understanding of human nature. We all can use a slice of it.

If you enjoy unique, thought-provoking novels, that hold adventure within its pages, then this one is written for you. Most likely, I will read this book again to get even more out of it, as I'm sure more wisdom has been hidden in these powerful pages and passages.

It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
It's a powerful, gripping, well written and thought provoking book that kept me on the edge till the edge.
There're some strong scenes and sometimes the creepy factor is quite high.
I liked the character development and the world building, both well thought and interesting.
It was a good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was a fascinating, gripping and thought provoking read. I always enjoy this author’s books as they are always very unique reads. The Pursuit Of William Abbey is no exception as it manages to be part historical, part science fiction but does this incredibly well so it’s never confusing.

The story intrigued me from the start with an interesting opening and I soon found myself drawn into the story. The writing is beautiful and very vivid with some fabulous descriptions of the places that William visits on his journey. I loved how she manages to show the life and sounds of each place which allows the reader to feel like they are actually there watching it all unfold. Some of the descriptions are a little graphic at times, especially the injuries of the soldiers at the start, which were a little stomach churning. The author definitely doesn’t hold back from telling the truth about a situation which makes for uncomfortable reading sometimes.

The story is a very interesting one and I enjoyed following William on his journey and I was very intrigued to see how it would all end up. It’s not a particularly fast paced book but there is always something to keep the reader interested, so if you get to a slow bit do keep reading as it’s definitely worth it.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orbit books for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

As soon as I started reading the blurb, The Pursuit Of William Abbey started ticking all the right boxes for me. A historical and international setting: check. A shocking event that changes the life of the main character forever: check. A curse and everything it entails: check. The promise of a lot of movement: check. That feeling of impending doom: check. Oh yes, the blurb alone already fully convinced me I was going to be in for a VERY interesting ride. And now I've had the chance to read The Pursuit Of William Abbey, I can state that this story has one of the most compelling and captivating premises I've had the chance to encounter this year.

There are quite a few different elements I loved in The Pursuit Of William Abbey. I'm struggling a bit to decide where to start, but I guess we'll keep it simple and return to the core of this story. And there is just no way to describe the plot without calling the curse the key stone on which the rest of the story is build. I don't want to give away too much, but as you might have guessed from reading the blurb, the main character William Abbey is cursed in the beginning of this story and his life changes forever after that. In the rest of the story, this curse is omnipresent and will determine every movement and even thought of William Abbey and those close to him. The curse gives The Pursuit Of William Abbey a touch of the mystical and what I personally would call magical realism. Why? This story isn't full blown fantasy; instead it's rather a work of literary fiction with a historical setting and a blurred line between the surreal and reality. This mix of genres is most fascinating and while it might not be for everyone, (historical) fiction fans will find it probably very easy to warm up to this story.

Another thing that stands out in The Pursuit Of William Abbey is both the international setting and diversity of different countries, local customs and politics incorporated into the plot. The nature of the curse alone forces William Abbey to travel a lot, and as the story develops he will have more than one reason to travel the globe. The many many references to different countries, local events and culture definitely made my travel heart happy and gives this story a complex, multifaceted and global feel. From Europe to Asia to Africa to the US; William Abbey never stops and as a consequence we never stop either.

The structure of the plot is also very intriguing. Basically, we start at the end, set in 1917, and then slowly learn more about the events in 1884 and the years after as William Abbey narrates his story through flashbacks. This way, his motivation for his actions in 1917 France are not clear for a long time, and this technique definitely helps you stay invested as you try to find all the answers. There are also quite a few characters in play, and this might be a bit of a juggle in the beginning, but my advice would be to just take your time with this story... This won't be too difficult, as the pace in The Pursuit Of William Abbey is surprisingly slow in general despite the many different settings, events and quite some action. Part of this slower pace can be explained through the detailed descriptions that help this story come alive... If you are a fan of elaborate and thorough descriptions, you will definitely be in for a treat.

The slower pace in The Pursuit Of William Abbey can also be explained through the extensive character development, and the fact that this book can be considered a mainly character driven story. While the different international settings and events of course play a role, I felt the main focus was on William Abbey, the other key characters and their development. A lot of thought was put in both their descriptions and growth over time. It was also fascinating to see the different attitudes towards and reactions to the curse. The characters helped build the bridge that connects the surreal with the more worldly elements... And they are definitely the reason why this mix of different genres works so well.

I don't want to talk too much about the plot itself and the things that happen to William Abbey to avoid spoiling the fun of discovering it all on your own... But I can say this about The Pursuit Of William Abbey in general: if you are a fan of slower character driven (historical) fiction, don't mind a hint of magical realism and love a multilayered international plot, you should definitely add this fascinating story to your wishlist.

The more I read this book and the more the cover became perfect for the story. The story began in 1884 and my skin crawled as arrogant white men showed no respect for the native South African people. They are seen as not human, having no feelings and being worthless, so when William Abbey, a young doctor, witnesses a Zulu boy being tied to a tree and set on fire he feels nothing for him.
When he is cut from the tree, unrecognisable his mother holds him while he still fights to breathe. When she has to end his life she curses Abbey. The spirit of her son will hunt him down, as long as Abbey lives, and when he comes in contact with him the person Abbey loves the most will die, then the next and the next. Abbey runs and runs but has to sleep, has to eat and has to rest but the spirit keeps coming, never having to stop.
Oh boy, this made my skin turn cold, no matter how slow this spirit was I knew to would keep catching up with him. He really did find out what it was like to lose the people you loved, like the child's mother, did. The only thing he could do to combat it was not to love if he had the choice. A new 'talent' is discovered through his curse, one that is thought of as an extremely useful commodity for the government.
The story does have lulls, or should I say gentler moments because when the tension rises it really goes sky-high for some pretty intense heart-pounding chapters. This is such an unusual story that I didn't know if I was happy to find there were more people with a similar curse to him or more uneasy. I really did feel for William Abbey who was continually after the proverbial apple held in front of him.
The book ticks so many genres, horror, supernatural and espionage all blended into a haunting belter.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.