Barcelona Dreaming

I've read everything Thomson has written (including his autobiography) and admire his literary dexterity. He is an author who has chosen to eschew fame and stylistic consistency in favour of constant variation. Think of Thomson as being an under-the-radar Ishiguro. Barcelona Dreaming is a marked departure from his prior work (NVK). Out goes the Gothic and in comes a fictional homage to the city where Thomson lived for some time. Similar to Cussa's Wild Horses, Barcelona Dreaming captures a side of Barcelona few tourists might see: a city of illegal immigrants, sex exploitation and shady deals. Notwithstanding this, it is hard to avoid the city's charms: its beaches and mountains, the Mediterranean light. The three tales told in Barcelona Dreaming are interlinked, with Thomson pointing to something of the magical about coincidences, unintended meetings and metaphorical sliding doors. Compelling and readable, both as travel fiction and the lives of others: eight and a half out of ten.

By Rupert Thomson