The Way the Angel Spreads Her Wings

Follows Adam Waters' search--ranging from Puerto Rico to a leper colony in Africa--for the woman he loves, after she mysteriously disappears from his hotel room

Callaghan's debut novel is a noteworthy reflection on the elusiveness of love and the inescapable impact of family. Adam Waters is a journalist on a bittersweet, wide-ranging search (from Lake Ontario to Puerto Rico to Africa) for Gabrielle, a waif-like, unpredictable woman who introduced him to love when he was an adolescent, a time depicted in frequent flashbacks. Adam's relationship with his melancholic, religious mother is also revealed, clarifying his metaphysical longings and the conflict between spirituality and sensuality he experiences during erotic encounters with Gabrielle. The meandering journey and the shifts from past to present and from country to country result in a narrative incoherency somewhat mitigated by Callaghan's exceptional command of language. Descriptive passages moving fluidly into philosophical commentaries suffused in romanticism balance harsh plot elements, such as Gabrielle's revelation of abuse by her superficially pious father. Further trials lead her to help lepers, leaving little room in her life for Adam. Callaghan's short fiction was collected in The Black Queen Stories.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Photographer Adam Waters is on a quest to find his missing lover in war-torn Africa and to reweave the disparate threads of his life. Scenes from the present alternate with his memories of a bitter, guilt-ridden mother who teaches him that "we all carry a cross"; an itinerant musician; a Catholic Church that offers little more than repression on the narrow road to salvation; and an abiding love for Gabriella, the "angel" who must fly. Like Gide and Oates, Callaghan allows his characters to wallow in depression, conflict, and guilt, leaving readers to hope for some sort of resolution or even transcendence. They are not disappointed, though there is hardly a Hollywood happy ending. The writing, especially the erotic passages and scenes set in a leper colony, is vivid and moving. This novel was first published in Canada in 1989 and was nominated for the Books in Canada First Novel Award. Recommended for both public and academic collections.
- Jim Dwyer, Califor nia State Univ. at Chico
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.