This book was first recommended to me in Grade Twelve of high school; nearly 15 years later, it found me again. And it was just as fantastic as I remembered it being.
It is difficult to put my love for this novel into words, so I will begin with a synopsis...
The Gargoyle follows the story of our unnamed protagonist: he is a porn actor who has just been in a horrific accident (one of his own doing), and has sustained third-degree burns over 85% of his body. He is left virtually unrecognizable overnight.
While recovering in the hospital, a woman named Marianne Engel appears in his room -- a woman who tells him that they were once lovers in a past life...
Marianne believes that God blessed her with a multitude of hearts -- hearts that are waiting to be released into stone gargoyles that she carves. From there, the story focuses on her progression through her 27 remaining hearts... and the impending countdown that accompanies it...
I enjoy The Gargoyle for a number of reasons...
To start, it has a unique redemption arc: an addict porn star is completely stripped of his identity (literally -- his skin burns off), and only through this loss is he finally able to connect with and care for other people.
There is extensive information on the treatment and recovery of burns, which I found very interesting... Daily massages to avoid skin tightening, débridement sessions to replace the damaged skin, lots of oils/lotions due to the loss of oil glands, physical therapy just to relearn standing and walking again, pressure garments and chemical baths to help with growing skin...
There is a lot of religious imagery and references, which I personally enjoy because it is a theme that is close to my heart. It is never fully revealed if the protagonist ends up believing in God, but it is through love that he draws closer to Him...
The concept of past lives is explored wonderfully in this book, and there are elements of extensive history, particularly medieval European history. It was interesting to learn a lot about scriptoriums!