A review by david_rhee
Gargoyles, by Thomas Bernhard

3.0

A country doctor wants to speak to his son about something important which has been weighing upon him for some time. He takes him along his rounds through the surrounding Austrian mountainous towns and the long lineup of freaks or "gargoyles" begins. It is one grotesque figure after another in quick succession, so that it seems the doctor has forgotten to have that overdue conversation with his son...or was this it? The novel breaks abruptly into the visit to another patient, Prince Saurau, who rattles off on a monologue of startling length. His ramblings have a disarming effect which actually opens one to be more receptive to the more profound words of the mad prince. The dark tones enhanced by a preoccupation with the prospects of one's own decay and death pervade the whole work. The style takes some getting used to, but it should be enjoyable to those who prefer narratives which stream along like the thought associations of a relaxed mind.