Boyd's Ordinary Thunderstorms

Constantly moving and full of ideas, this novel is an intriguingly dangerous and exciting ride. Intertwining many characters around one seemingly innocent event, William Boyd follows the journey of an everyday man who finds himself thrust into London’s underbelly and the vicious world of the pharmaceutical business. Adam Kindred’s life is turned upside down when he stumbles upon a murder and becomes a wanted man. The police think he’s a murderer and the real killer knows he’s the only witness. He has no choice but to disappear until he can find out who is after him and why.

This novel is full of ideas though not all are realised. It could be considered a straight-forward thriller, the little man against the all powerful corporation but there are too many other strands. Boyd touches on social divide, loss of humanity and even delves into the corrupt world of drug trials, but all are merely scratches on the surface and none are developed in detail. His writing is, as always, impeccable but Ordinary Thunderstorms seems to be lacking in the fluency and depth that ‘Any Human Heart’ contained. Perhaps it is just what happens when writers try new styles or when readers love them for one particular novel and can’t allow them to try something new, but overall the two novels are in different classes.

That is not to say that Ordinary Thunderstorms isn’t worth reading – it certainly is. The layers of London that are revealed as Kindred tries to conceal his identity and the characters that he meets across the social classes are fascinating. The reader shares the thrilling journey of discovery as the protagonist adapts to each new situation. As with Restless this is a highly entertaining read, fast paced and absorbing. Boyd’s skill is unquestionable, whatever genre he is writing in and despite some under-developed tangents this is as good as it gets for any thriller.

Taken for what it is without comparison to past Boyd novels you will enjoy it thoroughly, but remember that this is the same author who created Logan Mountstuart and you may be disappointed.

Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd is available to buy online here.