Chay – Dangerous Obsessions
by Alan Titchall
Chay – Chayton Duncan – wants to know how and why his father, Bob Smith, died in the central North Island bush 28 years ago. Was it really suicide – the official verdict – or something more sinister? He’s come to Auckland from his birthplace on Vancouver Island and he isn’t going home until he finds the answer.
Chay – Dangerous Obsessions is the sequel to Guardians*, which in turn is the sequel to While the Fantail Lives**, so if you have read Alan Titchall’s first books, you’re probably hoping that this latest volume will answer that question too. However, the more questions Chay asks about his father’s death, and the more people he encounters, the more the truth is disguised or side-stepped. And he isn’t always telling the truth either. His quest is enveloped in danger and deception. This had me wondering if not having read Guardians was a disadvantage as even two thirds of the way through, Chay hasn’t really made any progress and plenty of people want him to go back to Canada pretty quickly, before he finds out… what?
A complete non-use of any speech punctuation is an added challenge with this read. Who’s talking and where does the talking end? Why do we learn to punctuate speech if a whole book can be written without a single “speech mark”?
Page 1: What’s this parcel doing on my desk, he bellows from his open office door.
Page 23: Nice to meet you, Chay Duncan. And that big brute, she says, pointing at the dog, is called Medved, which means bear.
These quirks apart, kick back and enjoy the ride: and what a ride! High powered cars and SUVs whisk Chay around the country, staying in opulent surroundings and encountering people who possibly know the truth but aren’t going to share it with him. From Piha Beach to Turangi and on to the hydro village where his father grew up and died; to Whangamata and a car rally, to Russell and Waitangi, etc, the story romps along, interspersed with the conflicts in Northern Ireland and the Congo, and dipping into North American spiritualism, drugs, colonialism, how to make mayonnaise, gender diversity, and more. Everywhere he goes, his hosts serve salmon because Canadians all love salmon, don’t they?! Chay doesn’t like it so when his hosts find out, they serve it for spite!
Spoiler ALERT: if you read the Prologue, pages 1 and 2, set in June 2026, four months after Chay’s February arrival in New Zealand, you’ll know how the story ends. Avoid its inevitability by skipping the Prologue and starting on page 3.
* Guardians — see review by FlaxFlower July 2024
** While the Fantail Lives — see review by FlaxFlower August 2020
by Alan Titchall
Chay – Chayton Duncan – wants to know how and why his father, Bob Smith, died in the central North Island bush 28 years ago. Was it really suicide – the official verdict – or something more sinister? He’s come to Auckland from his birthplace on Vancouver Island and he isn’t going home until he finds the answer.
Chay – Dangerous Obsessions is the sequel to Guardians*, which in turn is the sequel to While the Fantail Lives**, so if you have read Alan Titchall’s first books, you’re probably hoping that this latest volume will answer that question too. However, the more questions Chay asks about his father’s death, and the more people he encounters, the more the truth is disguised or side-stepped. And he isn’t always telling the truth either. His quest is enveloped in danger and deception. This had me wondering if not having read Guardians was a disadvantage as even two thirds of the way through, Chay hasn’t really made any progress and plenty of people want him to go back to Canada pretty quickly, before he finds out… what?
A complete non-use of any speech punctuation is an added challenge with this read. Who’s talking and where does the talking end? Why do we learn to punctuate speech if a whole book can be written without a single “speech mark”?
Page 1: What’s this parcel doing on my desk, he bellows from his open office door.
Page 23: Nice to meet you, Chay Duncan. And that big brute, she says, pointing at the dog, is called Medved, which means bear.
These quirks apart, kick back and enjoy the ride: and what a ride! High powered cars and SUVs whisk Chay around the country, staying in opulent surroundings and encountering people who possibly know the truth but aren’t going to share it with him. From Piha Beach to Turangi and on to the hydro village where his father grew up and died; to Whangamata and a car rally, to Russell and Waitangi, etc, the story romps along, interspersed with the conflicts in Northern Ireland and the Congo, and dipping into North American spiritualism, drugs, colonialism, how to make mayonnaise, gender diversity, and more. Everywhere he goes, his hosts serve salmon because Canadians all love salmon, don’t they?! Chay doesn’t like it so when his hosts find out, they serve it for spite!
Spoiler ALERT: if you read the Prologue, pages 1 and 2, set in June 2026, four months after Chay’s February arrival in New Zealand, you’ll know how the story ends. Avoid its inevitability by skipping the Prologue and starting on page 3.
* Guardians — see review by FlaxFlower July 2024
** While the Fantail Lives — see review by FlaxFlower August 2020
Review by Carolyn McKenzie
Title: Chay – dangerous obsessions
Author: Alan Titchall
Publisher: Devonmedia Ltd
ISBN: 9780473780869
RRP: $34
Available: Paperback – reputable bookshops and Wheelers wholesale
Author: Alan Titchall
Publisher: Devonmedia Ltd
ISBN: 9780473780869
RRP: $34
Available: Paperback – reputable bookshops and Wheelers wholesale
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