Friday 23 August 2013

Review of 419 by Will Ferguson

This is not the kind of book I usually read, but because it was Will Ferguson and because he won the Giller Prize for this novel, I was curious. 419 is breathtaking - both because of the fear it brings to your throat and because of the incredible characters. 

A big part of my curiosity over this book stemmed from the author. I have heard Ferguson speak and was thrilled by his humour and story-telling ability. How could this translate to an action-adventure book, I wondered. Perfectly. 

Although the book deals with a very serious subject - an internet scam and all of the people involved, both in Canada and Nigeria, Ferguson's story-telling and ability to capture dialogue made it so much more than your typical action story. There is depth to his characters, even though he writes from so many points of view. There are inventive writing techniques, and he certainly keeps the reader guessing throughout.

I am deeply impressed (and humbled as an author myself), that Ferguson can write both fiction and non-fiction with such expertise. I highly recommend this book.
419 on amazon.ca

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