Customer Reviews

Indigo

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Chicago lawyer Harvey Michaelson calls Londoner Jack Chambers with the news that the Englishman's father Tim died. Jack has not seen his father in over twenty years and they only met a few times since Tim deserted Jack and his mother. Jack learns that he is the executor of his father's estate. Louise Durrell, an American half-sister, will gain some of the inheritance, but the bulk goes to an unknown person Natalie Shearer.

Jack flies to Chicago to understand the specific terms of the will. The major item for Jack to deal with in order to earn a sizable fee as the executor is publishing 200,000 copies of his father's manuscript, "Invisibility: A Manual of Light. The book is a text on the art of vanishing by seeing the color or non-color (if one chooses to be scientific) of INDIGO. Jack meets Louise for the first time in over two decades and to his chagrin finds himself attracted to her. They travel to Italy to find Natalie, who is reported living there. Jack soon finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving two apparent disappearances linked to his father. He also begins to enjoy the effects of INDIGO and defies the taboo of falling in love with his half-sister.

INDIGO is a weird, but intoxicating thriller that will leave readers wondering how much talent does Graham Joyce possess? The story line centers on the impact of INDIGO on the individual and their relationships, most of which fail. Jack is a cleverly drawn character whose motives ring genuine. Through character discussions the inner core of Tim is revealed. Not for those who want Action with a capital "A", INDIGO is a mind-bending journey into a surrealistic world.

Harriet Klausner

Every now and then, a book comes along with characterizations so strong, they completely overcome the (weak) plot. This is one of those books.

First things first, though. The plot is definately NOT compelling. Jack comes to America and meets his half-sister and wants to sleep with her, then goes to Rome with said sister, looking for some girl, all the while wringing his hands about how to publish this "manual of light". So they find this girl and Jack likes her, too, and....

See what I mean? The plot is not the book's strong point.

I kept reading Indigo because the characters were strong, well-fleshed out, and felt like they were alive. Each character has their story, their own quirks, something that makes then interesting and special, and they had them in spades.

I plan to keep this book on my shelf for some time, perhaps adding some of Joyce's other novels as well.

I'm a big fan of Joyce. Tooth Fairy, Dark Sister and Requiem were all unique and engrossing reads, which makes Indigo all the more disappointing. I couldn't empathize with any of the characters and the pseudo-scientific concept of Indigo lost its appeal quickly. Pass on this one and read Tooth Fairy.

Joyce's writing style is in fact similar to Neil Gaimen's (which honestly, is why I picked up Indigo in the first place). His characters have some heavily blunt yet bizarre personality traits, which makes the book a fun read in general. The problems come with the vivid descriptions used to explain the effects of the supernatural elements of the story. The plot is nicely created and developed, but I finished Indigo with no idea what the "wolf" reference was supposed to be applied to, and a big hole where a much needed wrap-up of events could have been inserted. This is Joyce's first attempt at a thriller. While I've heard wonderous things about his previous works,which are more of a dark fantasy theme, I wouldn't say they apply here. Not bad, not boring, but not a thouroughly completed book in my eyes.

I'm a big fan of Graham Joyce and would strongly recommend Requiem and the Tooth Fairy. Indigo is diverting, but far from his best. The concept is very intriguing and there is a certain amount of suspense, but the book is seriously marred by poor resolution. (A common complaint, as can be seen from the other reviews.) The references to the relation between the color and the wolf never come together, clues relating to the identity of the the father are never satisfactorily resolved, etc. Jack's lover's final references to the symbolism of the color in attempting to convince him to continue their journey are also heavy handed and make no sense. Unfortunate, since the premise was really quite interesting and if well developed this could have been a very creepy entertainment. Also, I disagree with the reader that says they were bored by the sections containing the invisibility manual. I found those to be some of the best sections of the book. Basically, something of a slapdash affair, although I was entertained for a couple of hours. Here's hoping Joyce's next novel (centered around Thailand and the opium trade, unless S&S decides to bring out Storm Watcher first) will signal a return to shape.

This book had such great potential. I tore into it the first night I purchased it and ended up reading until 2am. The first 3/4's of the book really intrigued me. I thought it was going to go down a particular road, but I was sadly mistaken. The story fell to pieces toward the end and I hurled the book at the wall upon finishing it. I felt cheated! Such great potential never realized.

While not his best work, Indigo by Graham Joyce was a thrilling read. He claims that this is his first thriller but I think its easy to argue that most of his previous works have had equal amounts of "thrill" to them. What Joyce does so well is quickly set up an intriguing situation with captivating characters. He accomplishes in one chapter what most authors would do in several.

While the ending seems a little rushed and lacks some of the resolution I would have liked to see, the book is entertaining. Its easy to see why he's earned the respect of the British writing community and been able to nab so many awards. I'd be more apt to recommend Dreamside or Tooth Fairy before Indigo but this is a satisfying read.

This book just won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel of the year. This is Graham Joyce's fourth best novel award, and Indigo is probably his most challenging and probably his best. Only read it if you can stand having your mind bent a little. It's absolutely breathtaking!

This is the third book of Mr. Joyce's that I've read and is quite unlike the first two. I thought the first two (Requiem and Dark Sister) were very well done. Indigo never quite goes anywhere. It drags like few books I've ever read. The book deals with Jack Chamber's attempts, as executor, to resolve his estranged and eccentric father's unusual will. Interesting story line on the surface, but a dull, boring, aimless and draggy implementation by Mr. Joyce. My sincere recommendation: Be kind to yourself, read something else!

this is another great novel...
dear lovers of magical realism and mystery,
... by Graham Joyce.
Jack was deserted by his father when he was five, and later, after college, when he has a chance to get to know him, he finds he has even more reason to hate the man. Now his father has died and left him with nothing to inherit but a half sister he barely knows, and a small fee as executor of his will, which includes a provision to publish his father's book on learning to see Indigo and thereby learning to be Invisible.
Taking place mostly in Chicago and Rome, the two places, according to the book, where Indigo can be most easily seen, the novel leads one to wonder can one really find Indigo and become invisible? And what would you do with that power if it was yours?
Graham Joyce continues to entertain. He is a great writer.
kyela,
the silver elves