Stay by Nicola Griffith

Rating: ***** Reviewer: Meg

Stay is one of those books that sucks you in so hard that your surroundings are a surprise when you look up. The six foot tall professional bodyguard, Aud, as tough physically as Yojimbo and as fiercely passionate as Virginia Woolf, is a completely enthralling character. As the book opens she has retreated from humanity to mourn the death of her lover, in spite of that lover's last instructions to "stay in the world." Aud tries hard to isolate herself but events drag her back. She finds herself again in the role of guardian, in the old sense of that word, a protector of one's community. The plot is complex and full of suspense, but it is driven by the character who is multidimensional and more complex than most protagonists in mystery/adventure fiction. The surprises in the plot are the result of actions taken by Aud, many that are unexpected principally because the reader's (my) expectations of a female character are inaccurate when it comes to her. She is a highly skilled and thoroughly trained soldier in peak physical condition ruled mentally by grief, rage and an inborn compassion that she can't ignore no matter how hard she tries. Often with warrior characters, their temporary downfalls come about because they let their cynicism drop away when someone innocent needs their help. Aud is no exception in her attempts to rescue two women over the course of the story. She finds herself in trouble when she leaves the safety of her streetwise, rational, thinking world because she feels compassion. As much as this book is about mystery, adventure, and the associated heroics, it is more about the difficult recovery from deep grief. Aud blames herself for the death of her lover, a woman whom she was hired to guard. This adds to her sorrow and her recovery is slow and difficult and fraught with projection and anger toward others who care for her. She comes forward, then retreats, then strikes out, sometimes inappropriately. She is a mystery to herself, a logical, controlled person normally, now ruled by the turbulence of depression and self-blame. The suspense is as much in waiting to see if Aud will heal as in the excitement of the physical events. Nicola Griffith is a skilled wordsmith whose prose is filled with metaphors and carefully chosen vocabulary that takes philosophical leaps, such as "Aud rhymes with crowd. My name is Legion." I highly recommend this book as a tense, tough read. I would say that you can't put it down, but I found I had to on occasion, just to catch my breath.

Find out more about this writer at: http://www.nicolagriffith.com