Lysander Rief, a charming young actor, travels from London to Austria for treatment of a sexual problem.
The Vienna of Sigmund Freud is grand and elegant. But beneath the sophisticated veneer is a city on the brink of war bubbling with decadence.
With nothing on his mind but a distant lover and his therapy, Rief stumbles into an affair with a wildly attractive sculptress. Events, seemingly unrelated, lead Rief into a world of espionage and back to a London under attack. The transition from Vienna to the military and espionage offices of London, and in theme from sexual adventure to World War 1 spy novel, could appear problematic. But hidden truths are common with both psychoanalysis and espionage.
To some critics Boyd's is not a perfect novel, but most readers will find it enjoyable. I did.
- 'Waiting for Sunrise' is published by Bloomsbury and available from Exclusive Books for R206
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