Gravesend

A Novel

By: William Boyle

Narrated by: Alan Carlson

In this masterful work of neo-noir, William Boyle expertly captures the grit and desperation of a neighborhood in flux, and spotlights the neighbors who find themselves caught up in the crimes of the past.

Some worship him and some want him dead, but either way, tensions run high when “Ray Boy” Calabrese is released from prison. It’s been 16 years since Ray Boy’s actions led to the death of a young man. The victim's brother, Conway D'Innocenzio, is a 29-year-old Brooklynite wasting away at a local Rite Aid, stuck in the past and drawn into a darker side of himself when he hears of Ray Boy’s freedom. But even with the perfect plan in place, Conway can’t bring himself to take the ultimate revenge on Ray Boy, which sends him into a spiral of self-loathing and soul-searching.

Meanwhile, Alessandra, a failed actress, returns to her native Gravesend after the death of her cancer-stricken mother, torn between the desperate need to escape back to Los Angeles as quickly as possible and the ease with which she could sink back into neighborhood life. Alessandra and Conway are walking eerily similar paths - staring down the rest of their lives, caring for their aging fathers, lost in the youths they squandered - and each must decide what comes next.

In the tradition of American noir authors like Dennis Lehane and James Ellroy, William Boyle’s Gravesend brings the titular neighborhood to life in this story of revenge, desperation, and escape.

©2018 Pegasus (P)2019 TalkingBook

Gritty Crime Story

This was gritty as hell, watching broken people maneuver around each other trying to make a life worth living. Everything is really bleak and depressing but really well written at the same time. And in the interactions with people who aren't as broken you can see a real dichotomy. Where there are people who just exist within their orbit briefly and move on with their lives while the broken people are stuck in a spiraling cloud they can't escape. For a story like that to be good the characters have to be good. They're tortured but they have to be enough to carry the weight of the story along. These do, these sometimes lost, sometimes loathsome individuals are developed strong enough that you can hate all of them and yet be a willing audience as they march along to the end of either them or their story.

It's a bummer, some of it might be upsetting, but I was there for all of it and it was quite entertaining.

I received the review code for this audiobook at my request and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

It will appeal to young male readers

Conway swears to kill Roy Boy after he is been released out of prison after. Sixteen years before, Roy Boy killed Conway’s little brother, and surprisingly, and not only he repents but also has a deathwish that will make Conway incapable of killing him. Both start a downward spiraling journey that will affect everybody in the neighborhood.

I really liked the premises of this book, and the raw writing gripped my attention, but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I were ten years younger and male. Most of the characters were young men with little aspirations in life and the wrong motivations. They were complex characters, and although I was not able to connect to them, I understand the appeal for some readers. I was disappointed at the poor development and inferiority of female characters, but I believe it is due to the masculinity reigning in the neighborhood, and the fact that the book was written by a man.

Alex Carlson did a wonderful job interpreting the characters and transmitting the vibes of the atmosphere created by Boyle. His New York accents just hit the right spot. I only have a small complaint about his interpretation of both main female characters, which sounded a bit forced. They were not the most brilliant characters in the book, but Carlson’s interpretation made them sound even inferior to how they were portrayed.

It was an okay book for me, but I think it will appeal to young male readers.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Emotional and heartbreaking

Sad story of revenge and regret. I found it to be very emotional and sad. To focus so completely on something very negative... To want something so bad that it takes over your whole life and everyone else watches your life pass you by. Two characters consumed by different ends of the same situation. I couldn't listen to this again. It was too sad. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Gravesend

This story was not my 'cup of tea'.It was well written and engaging with interesting characters.I feel a younger crowd,probably mle,would enjoy it. Alan Carlson was a fine narrator. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Dread and a kiss of chaos!

You feel the pain that sets this story in motion through the relatability of every character you’re introduced too. Beautiful.

Alan Carlson did a wonderful job giving these characters their voice!