An audio book. Biographical sections about the 2 men alternate. It's the late 1800s in the UK. George is an Indian vicar's son. He becomes a solicitor in Birmingham. Arthur turns out to be Arthur Conan Doyle. He's interested in spiritualism.
George receives threatening letters. He's arrested for for killing a horse. The accusations have a racial element, but his father behaves suspiciously, and the circumstantial evidence builds up. He gets 7 years. After 4, he's suddenly released.
Arthur, approaching 40, has an affair with a 21 year old woman. His wife's an invalid - TB. He decides to follow up George's case after receiving a letter from him. His intervention leads to George getting a pardon. After his wife dies, he invites George to his wedding with his long-established mistress.
I knew something of Arthur's life already. I don't think that's the only reason why I found the book uninteresting.
Other reviews
- Natasha Walter (Barnes has decided to mould the tale into a leisurely historical novel in which we chunter through conversations at a snail's pace and original letters and articles are reproduced verbatim. The novel is partly told from Arthur's point of view and partly from George's, but it is all delivered in the same ponderous, detailed tone. ... Barnes could have written a straightforward history of the case and made these points just as effectively. )
- Andrew Taylor
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