Book review

“Ordinary Thunderstorms”

The novel “Ordinary Thunderstorms“ by William Boyd, tells a story about a climatologist who is suspected of murder and has to fight a pharmaceutical industry.

When the human is well equipped with a credit card, a career and a health insurance he imagines to be save, however only one negligence can change everything. In this case it was the longing for sex, nothing else was essential, to overthrow a secure existence, a happy marriage and a live in wealth. The novel “Ordinary Thunderstorms“ is about that overthrow.

The main character in this story is named Adam Kindred, who is a climatologist. His student debauched him in the cloud chamber. This accident resulted in a divorce from his wife and in getting fired. It was time to start a new live for Adam Kindred, so he applied for a job in London. His chances seemed good, he was young and intelligent.  What was the worst that could happen?

The book “Ordinary Thunderstorms“ is all about one coincidence. The coincidence where Adam Kindred accidentally gets into a murder case. He follows a man, who left his documents in a cafe, home and finds the stranger bleeding to death in his bed. Adam Kindred, who is in panic, makes the big mistake to pull out the knife that was stuck in the stranger’s chest. By doing this he leaves his fingerprints behind. Since he fears that he can never prove that he is innocent and in addition to that the killer wants the documents that Adam kept, he sees no alternative than to go underground. However, how is it possible for someone to disappear in London?

This book is full of different perspectives. You get to know many different points of view from different characters.

The main question William Boyd wrote about in his book is: How does a person handle different life situations and what impact do they have on that person?

Adam Kindred is able to jump easily from one society into the other. Adam only has to climb over a fence and suddenly he lives on an unknown property next to the Thames and belongs to the homeless.

Adam thinks that living as a homeless person is something like going camping. Therefore he buys the typical camping equipment: Gas cooker, camping mat and a sleeping bag. That is how he finally becomes one of the homeless. Adam has to learn how to eat from garbage cans and how to scrounge. He even steals a blind man’s stick because pretending to be blind is the easiest way to get money.

Adam also knows that he is not allowed to use his mobile phone or his credit card. Otherwise somebody could find him.                                                                                                                         It is scary how much information you reveal by using your phone or your credit card.                        I noticed that as soon as you stop using your cell phone and your credit card, no one can find you anymore; however on the other hand it makes you wonder how much influence and power these small everyday utensils have. This information was shocking.

Even though Adam tries his best to be undiscoverable the killer is close in on Adam. As a consequence Adam has to change his identity and location all the time:

At first he becomes “John 1603” and joins a sect that does not believe in Jesus Christ but in Johannes. Adam Kindred was even offered the job as the manager of this sect.

A little later the homeless Adam moves in with a prostitute and her son, in a district which is scary, even at daytime.

In the end he takes on the new name Primo Belem and starts working in a hospital and falls in love with a policewoman.

Adam is able to adjust his new roles easily. However it seems as if Adam stays the same person from the inside, only his outer appearance changes. Does a person always stay the same?

Throughout the story Adam Kindred changes from the hunted person to the hunter. To prove that he is innocent he has to determine the background of the murder.

The investigations lead to a pharmaceutical company that is on its way to produce an asthma medication, however in their testing-phase a few children died but no one knew about that.

The book “Ordinary Thunderstorms” describes London and the Thames very well. It feels like you can actually see what Adam sees.                                                                                                               It also is very interesting to get a glance at all the different societies. There are the homeless people, the people from the pharmaceutical company, the policemen and of course Adam Kindred who shows you every society there is.                                                                                                  On the one hand I liked the idea, that the reader always knows everything and is able to stay on top of things, on the other hand I knew that the story would finish with a happy ending. William Boyd wrote “Ordinary Thunderstorms” as a realistic book. He even said in an interview once that this book is not pinned down on a certain time period.

Throughout the story Adam Kindred stayed the same person. He had many ups and downs but that never influenced his character. I think that such extreme situations will change your personality and will have an influence on your behavior. Therefore I think that some parts of the book are not as realistic as they seem.

Maria Aumiller