The strain in Spain
PENNY PHILLIPS
Gabriel’s Moon
By William Boyd
Viking £20
Why can’t Gabriel Dax sleep?
When his doctor – who’s been prescribing him sleeping pills for years – asks if he’s ever considered psychoanalysis, Gabriel insists that ‘there’s no mystery here – I know exactly why I can’t sleep… There’s nothing for anyone to explain to me.’
Gabriel’s self-analysis harks back to a cataclysmic childhood event – with which Gabriel’s Moon opens.
And, transcending even Hollywood film producer Sam Goldwyn’s preference