Just Finished Reading Ruth Rendell's Gallowglass

Gallowglass is a 1990 novel credited to the name Barbara Vine, which was a pseudonym for renown mystery writer Ruth Rendell.  Since I've been focusing lately on her works, I thought I'd try out one by Vine.  As it turned out, Gallowglass in many ways reminds me of the other two Rendell standalone novels I've read: Portobello and The Crocodile Bird.  It goes deeply into the personalities, histories, and relationships of its characters, a Rendell trademark.  And while mysteries abound here, the story isn't a "mystery" per se...rather a suspenseful drama...

Much of Gallowglass is told in the first person by an uneducated young Englishman named Joe, who has suffered through much depression in his short life and was on the verge of jumping in front of a speeding train when another young man, Sandor, pulls him out of danger.  Sandor demands unquestioning loyalty from Joe because he saved his life, and the latter is not only compliant in this but develops a deep, nonsexual love for him.  Sandor, who unlike Joe had gone to college and is well-versed in the arts and literature, dubs his new obedient friend as his "gallowglass", referring to a class of Scottish Celtic warriors of the distant past who fought for their chief.  But Sandor is not wholly benevolent in his leadership role and often shows sadistic streaks as well as continually belittling Joe, who is only too willing to quickly forgive him his faults.  And Sandor has a big secret he gradually reveals through a story he tells in snippets to Joe: he had been involved, with some young Italians, in the kidnapping of a wealthy Englishman's wife while they were in Italy a few years back in order to obtain a large ransom.  It starts to become apparent that he now wants to repeat the feat here in England, kidnapping the same woman, Nina...but with Joe as his new accomplice.  So they begin to survey the heavily secured estate where she lives with her paranoid third husband, and the story then departs from Joe's account to a third-person narrative...

One of the main characters in Gallowglass is the bodyguard that Nina's husband hired to look after her.  Paul Garnet is a sympathetic and strong individual who devotes himself to taking care of his young daughter Jessica after her mother had essentially abandoned the two of them a few years earlier.  He plays an important role in the story's outcome, as do a few other characters whom I have omitted from this short review.  Suffice to say that I don't want to reveal anything that would keep you from wanting to read this engrossing story...

I thought it was interesting how Rendell would alternate between writing in the first person from Joe's perspective and in the third person whenever the narrative was about Paul Garnet.  I also picked up how Joe would abandon his own conscience and conform himself to whatever Sandor said or did...that, to me, is reminiscent of the numerous "toadies" of the bullies I had the disgust and displeasure of growing up with, most notably at my own school bus stop.  I also see the same unquestioning, nearly idolatrous attitude being taken by many supporters of a certain presidential candidate who displays every aspect of being a bully.  No, neither Joe nor Sandor are very compelling people for their often revolting personalities...but that by no means detracts from them being very interesting.  Gallowglass is a pretty dark tale that might require someone of a tougher constitution to get through.  Well, I got through it, anyway...and thought it was a very worthwhile read...

In 1993 BBC made an on-screen adaptation of Gallowglass, which I naturally haven't had time to watch.  Maybe it's available on Netflix or another resource...if you don't feel like reading the book, you might want to check it out...