THE WOOD AND THE TREES

An England-born Scot lives a life in the 1980s that teems with eclectic acquaintances in this debut novel.

Archie Henderson sees attending university as an escape from life with his unpleasant mother. He studies history and becomes particularly fond of stories of the United States’ past, so he and his best friend, Tommy, obtain student work visas and travel around America. As the young men make their way south, Archie learns about the country’s history of slavery, the Civil War, and current racism. Along the way, he meets remarkable people, including the amicable New Orleans local Willie B. Back in the U.K., Archie gets a job working the Asian equities desk at an investment firm, which finds him mingling with colorful clients and colleagues. He reunites with someone he once rescued from a bully at their all-boys school; now she goes by Vincenza and waits tables at a drag club in Soho. Archie later focuses on his own life, including a possible romance and a family secret. Davies’ appealing, selfless protagonist often puts himself at risk to help both friends and strangers. However, he frequently comes across as a tourist in supporting characters’ more compelling stories. Willie B, for example, is a Black man who’s victimized by a justice system that doesn’t do much harm to Archie, who’s White. At another point, Archie witnesses someone else jump into a raging river to save a young girl, and he spectates during a character’s entanglement in an attempted murder trial. Still, the cast is superb, including a surprisingly charming undertaker and a former Royal Marine who’s the son of a British noble and a stage performer. Sharply written prose maintains a steady narrative momentum, as when Archie and Tommy travel through Texas: “Discovering the delights of Tex Mex cuisine they headed for a bar where they found a crowd of students enjoying Freshers Week….Being back among their own kind Archie and Tommy soon got into the swing of it with plenty of stories and plenty of nonsense.” The marvelous opening and closing scenes also enrich the novel.

Well-developed characters energize this story of camaraderie.