William Boyd is an author I have followed for about 40 years - starting with his 1982 masterpiece “An Ice Cream War” - recounting the lives of a disparate group of people and nationalities caught up in the fighting in German East Africa in WW1.
Boyd was born in Accra , Ghana in 1952 to Scottish parents - and his experiences growing up in the late colonial period enriches his fiction.
His descriptions of the human condition and interaction with each other - as well as describing the environment are exemplary.
For me -this attention to detail and a deep dive at all levels into what we all feel as human beings, bring his stories to life.
A particular favorite is 1987 novel “The New Confessions” recounting a whirlwind life of the main character (born in 1899)- surviving an angst ridden childhood to be thrust into the trenches of WW1 , taken prisoner then ending up 1920’s Berlin, then Mexico, then filmmaking in Hollywood,CA and dealing with the McCarthy communist witch hunts.
Its rich in detail and covers so many cultural nuances - it keeps the reader focussed.
Not every one of his novels work for me and some storylines drag in my opinion - however such criticism does not over shadow the respect for what a great story teller he is.
Go check out the celebrated William Boyd - it will open up new worlds!