Sweet Caress
William Boyd’s latest is a sweeping tour de force seen through the eyes, and lens, of a single character, Amory Clay. Born in 1908, young Amory finds a quick love of photography and, after schooling, joins her uncle in taking society pictures. From there, Amory has stints of success – taking photos for major magazines – and failures – a disastrous gallery showing in London. All the while, we grow with Amory as she wends her way through her complicated life with a depressed father, superstar sister, and late-blooming brother. Sweet Caress follows Amory through English fascist riots, World War II, and Vietnam, from a marriage with an alcoholic Scottish lord to a daughter who runs away with a pseudo-cult in California. All the while, her life is continually touched by tragic events, but they never shape who she is.
Sweet Caress is wonderfully written, both from Amory’s fictional narrative and in her fictional journal from 1977, as she reflects on her tempestuous life, and it even includes “found” images from her private collection. Boyd weaves both parts together masterfully. His easy flowing style draws you into every page, every word. This is a book that should be on top of everyone’s fall reading stack.
