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A review by katykelly
Hotel Alpha by Mark Watson
4.0
4.5 stars
I have no knowledge of Watson as a comedian, and saw this mentioned and purely liked the sound of a novel set in a hotel - I always enjoyed Hotel Babylon, and I did think of it numerous times as I read this.
Watson is a very good writer. Assured, confident and funny, he also manages moments of emotion and warmth.
This is the story of a hotel. An opulent London hotel, from its inception by a Harry Selfridge-like rich dreamer Howard York to the present day. Narrated by two men, our first is the concierge Graham, hired on a whim by York and there to oversee its trials and triumphs over a forty-year span. Our second is Chas, Howard's blind adopted son, raised in the hotel and reclusive in his disability...
We see changes over the decades, we see stories develop, old secrets unearthed, and society altering around the hotel, which valiantly tries to keep up.
I loved how the story develops, how Chas's adolescent then adult narrative complements Graham's as we see the hotel's story from their differing points of view, and their views of the entrepreneur Howard. It's a fascinating, and at times heartbreaking tale.
Graham's narrative says a lot by what he doesn't say - his repeated meal at home, his loyalty to his work. Chas's world of darkness is on the surface, the more moving tale, though his growth over time to me meant the constant Graham looked even more set in his ways - not embracing changes in technology, wistfully remembering the past.
And both have good reason to try and forget the past...
I really, really liked this. I've already ordered a copy of the author's 'Eleven', and his is a name I'll be looking out for again. Well-developed plot (though I thought Howard the weakest character actually), with some very human characters and plot turns you become very involved in.
I didn't read on to the 100 extra tales (told by other hotel guests), I liked the story standing on its own and didn't feel the need to explore further, though I liked the idea.
A little mystery, a hotel-set 'family saga' of sorts exploring change in the 20th and 21st century - a modern Selfridges tale.
I have no knowledge of Watson as a comedian, and saw this mentioned and purely liked the sound of a novel set in a hotel - I always enjoyed Hotel Babylon, and I did think of it numerous times as I read this.
Watson is a very good writer. Assured, confident and funny, he also manages moments of emotion and warmth.
This is the story of a hotel. An opulent London hotel, from its inception by a Harry Selfridge-like rich dreamer Howard York to the present day. Narrated by two men, our first is the concierge Graham, hired on a whim by York and there to oversee its trials and triumphs over a forty-year span. Our second is Chas, Howard's blind adopted son, raised in the hotel and reclusive in his disability...
We see changes over the decades, we see stories develop, old secrets unearthed, and society altering around the hotel, which valiantly tries to keep up.
I loved how the story develops, how Chas's adolescent then adult narrative complements Graham's as we see the hotel's story from their differing points of view, and their views of the entrepreneur Howard. It's a fascinating, and at times heartbreaking tale.
Graham's narrative says a lot by what he doesn't say - his repeated meal at home, his loyalty to his work. Chas's world of darkness is on the surface, the more moving tale, though his growth over time to me meant the constant Graham looked even more set in his ways - not embracing changes in technology, wistfully remembering the past.
And both have good reason to try and forget the past...
I really, really liked this. I've already ordered a copy of the author's 'Eleven', and his is a name I'll be looking out for again. Well-developed plot (though I thought Howard the weakest character actually), with some very human characters and plot turns you become very involved in.
I didn't read on to the 100 extra tales (told by other hotel guests), I liked the story standing on its own and didn't feel the need to explore further, though I liked the idea.
A little mystery, a hotel-set 'family saga' of sorts exploring change in the 20th and 21st century - a modern Selfridges tale.