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Hotel Alpha by Mark Watson
Sep. 3rd, 2014 10:32 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
There’s a story behind every door …
Three decades ago, the charismatic Howard York created the finest hotel in London – the Hotel Alpha. Here, guests are provided with everything they could wish for. And when Howard is in the room, there is a sense that anything is possible.
Graham, the concierge, has been behind the Alpha’s front desk since the day the hotel opened and has witnessed every stage of its history. Chas, Howard’s blind adopted son, has almost never ventured outside its walls. But as the years forge ahead, both Graham and Chas must ask themselves whether life at the Alpha can keep pace with the world outside it, and whether Howard’s vision of the perfect hotel has been built on secrets as well as dreams …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Mark Watson’s fourth novel is a character-focused story traversing a 40 year period seen through the eyes of Graham and Chas. There are some nice ideas, notably how technology can dehumanise everyday contact whilst enabling people to stay connected and it was also interesting to read a book with a blind character - Watson does well at conveying Chas’s idea of the world through his other senses and use of the internet. However, the first person voice results in more telling than showing while the big secret at the heart of the book simply wasn’t big enough for me and seemed easy for other characters to guess. I also didn’t believe in Howard’s mercurial power or the magnetic hold he seems to have over those around him and there are a number of points where Watson gets historical facts wrong (e.g. Graham takes someone to catch a British Airways flight several years before British Airways was set up). Ultimately, it was an okay read and I kept turning the pages. Although this book never really came alive for me, I would check out Watson’s other work.
HOTEL ALPHA was released in the United Kingdom on 31st July 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
Three decades ago, the charismatic Howard York created the finest hotel in London – the Hotel Alpha. Here, guests are provided with everything they could wish for. And when Howard is in the room, there is a sense that anything is possible.
Graham, the concierge, has been behind the Alpha’s front desk since the day the hotel opened and has witnessed every stage of its history. Chas, Howard’s blind adopted son, has almost never ventured outside its walls. But as the years forge ahead, both Graham and Chas must ask themselves whether life at the Alpha can keep pace with the world outside it, and whether Howard’s vision of the perfect hotel has been built on secrets as well as dreams …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Mark Watson’s fourth novel is a character-focused story traversing a 40 year period seen through the eyes of Graham and Chas. There are some nice ideas, notably how technology can dehumanise everyday contact whilst enabling people to stay connected and it was also interesting to read a book with a blind character - Watson does well at conveying Chas’s idea of the world through his other senses and use of the internet. However, the first person voice results in more telling than showing while the big secret at the heart of the book simply wasn’t big enough for me and seemed easy for other characters to guess. I also didn’t believe in Howard’s mercurial power or the magnetic hold he seems to have over those around him and there are a number of points where Watson gets historical facts wrong (e.g. Graham takes someone to catch a British Airways flight several years before British Airways was set up). Ultimately, it was an okay read and I kept turning the pages. Although this book never really came alive for me, I would check out Watson’s other work.
HOTEL ALPHA was released in the United Kingdom on 31st July 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
