Black Dove
Black Dove by Colin McAdam, published by Soho Press on January 9, 2024, is a 336-page work that explores themes of grief, transformation, and the power of storytelling. Set in a tall, narrow house on a busy street, the narrative follows twelve-year-old Oliver and his father, a writer who shares impromptu tales that provide solace amid their struggles. As Oliver grapples with the haunting memory of his alcoholic mother, he finds refuge in his father’s stories, particularly one about the mystical Black Dove, which symbolizes strength and resilience.
Readers will encounter a blend of psychological and horror elements as Oliver navigates his complex world filled with bullies, an enigmatic junk shop owner, and a magical neighborhood. The story delves into Oliver’s experiments with genetic editing and his evolving friendship with a girl from across the street, all while revealing the darker consequences of fantasy. Black Dove presents a rich tapestry of childhood experiences, capturing both the wonder and the challenges that accompany growing up.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Stark and beautiful, horrifying and lyrical, Black Dove’s pages thrum with flight, transformation, grief, revenge, transcendence, the remorseless power of stories and the very nature of creation. Ever since reading, Black Dove has drifted in and out of my dreams.” —Helen Macdonald, author H Is For Hawk
In a tall and narrow house, on a stained and busy street, live twelve-year-old Oliver and his father, a story-loving writer. Haunted by the ghost of his alcoholic mother, Oliver finds comfort in his father’s impromptu tales: the Black Dove, an elusive flower that gives strength; the girl who consumes it as she battles attackers and yearns for happier realms. Stories where lonely souls keep searching despite their losses and grief.
Running from a bully one night, Oliver hides in a junk shop owned by an enigmatic man. Soon, instead of hiding in the janitor’s closet after school, Oliver spends afternoons in the shop, a cavernous place full of storied oddities and grubby wonders where creatures rise up from the basement. A snake in the shape of a boy. A hunter named Night, part panther, part hound, who proves to Oliver that the world holds invisible wonder.
Wanting to forget his mother, afraid of his own genes, constantly harassed by bullies, Oliver joins the shop owner in experimenting with dangerous forms of genetic editing. Meanwhile, he meets the girl from across the street, and their friendship grows in a neighbourhood where magic is real, where murderers gather, and where the darker consequences of fantasies play out.
A twisting story of grief and revenge, Black Dove is a thrilling read with its own kind of magic. In rich but tightly reined prose, McAdam celebrates the value and shortfalls of storytelling, finding a light in all the darkness to conjure a tender portrait of childhood’s end.
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