Michael Cox -- The Meaning of Night

Elegant and intelligently written, The Meaning of Night is an expertly researched and edited novel of letters and first-person narrative set in mid-19th-century London and the surrounding English countryside. It is as romantic in style as any English texts of the period, and includes many footnoted references to a variety of early- and mid-19th-century publications of poetry and prose. The novel centers on Edward Glyver and his prep-school rival who becomes poet and writer Phoebus Daunt. Glyver, given away at birth by his baroness mother to spite her husband, the Baron of Tansor, establishes over time that not only has he lost his inheritance but also that Daunt has so completely ingratiated himself into the Tansor family that he, not Glyver, will be given the Tansor inheritance. Glyver resolves to find out the entire truth about his birthright, and ultimately kill Daunt. What ensues is Glyver's emotional disintegration into paranoia, drug use, obsession and revenge. His attempts to determine the truth through clues left behind by his birth mother are met and countered at each discovery by the power and wealth of the Tansor family. Betrayal, spies, and family ties ensure that Glyver will never prove his birth nor attain what is rightfully his. Unlike contemporary suspense novels, The Meaning of Night is physically and emotionally tense and charged. It is a challenging linguistic read in its sometimes-antiquated vocabulary and phrasing and is a piece of literature to spend time with. All of the characters are vibrant and meaningful, and the combination of factual information and fiction is captivating. The editor's preface and post-script are essential reading, maximizing the experience. (Tad Yoke) Grade: A