Kane & Abel
1979 • 592 pages

Ratings21

Average rating3.9

15

(4.5, rounded down to 4)
‘Kane and Abel' is a very clear cut novel - follows the life journeys of two people, Abel Rosnovski and William Kane, born on the same date - whose circumstances cause them to grow up drastically different, but later they clash with each other heavily - causing them to disregard everything around them for revenge.
This is a marvellous piece of fiction, but as much as I want to sing this novel's praises, it lets you down at several points - for example, the character motivations of Kane and Abel, the titular characters.
Even though the book describes the odysseys of Kane and Abel in excruciating detail, I still got the feeling that both could be further developed. This complaint was repeated with several characters, all of whom are described (and developed) in zero detail. The plot also slows down heavily in the last quarter of the book - the part where ideally, I should have been the most excited.
Barring that, the first two parts of the novel, and the ending - are one of the best in modern dramatized fiction I've encountered so far. Will definitely be returning to Jeffrey Archer in the future.

September 2, 2019Report this review