Murther and Walking Spirits

Murther and Walking Spirits follows Gil Gilmartin, a film critic who becomes a ghost after a violent encounter with his wife's lover. His spirit attends a mysterious film festival where he experiences a unique perspective - while others watch regular movies, he views scenes from his ancestors' lives. Through these supernatural screenings, Gilmartin discovers the complex history of his family lineage, from Colonial America through modern times. The narrative spans generations of his forebears, revealing their struggles, relationships, and defining moments. The book combines elements of ghost story, historical fiction, and family saga in its examination of heritage and identity. Its structure explores how the past shapes the present and how understanding one's ancestors can illuminate the meaning of one's own existence.

Readers found this to be one of Davies' more experimental and challenging works. The ghost story framing device and extended film sequences proved polarizing. Positive reviews praised: - The rich historical details about Toronto and Canadian settlement - Complex family dynamics across generations - Davies' signature wit and observations about human nature - The creative narrative structure Common criticisms: - Difficult to follow the multiple storylines and time periods - Too many characters to track - Film festival sections feel long and disconnected - Less engaging than Davies' other novels Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (1,100+ ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (40+ ratings) Sample reader comments: "The genealogical elements fascinate but the cinema sequences drag" - Goodreads reviewer "Required too much effort to piece together" - Amazon reviewer "Not the best entry point for Davies newcomers" - LibraryThing review Many readers recommended starting with Davies' Deptford Trilogy instead of this later work.

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🎬 Robertson Davies wrote this novel at age 77, making it his penultimate work before his death in 1995. 📚 The book's unusual spelling of "Murther" is an archaic form of "murder," commonly used in 17th and 18th-century literature and legal documents. 👻 Davies drew inspiration for the novel's structure from his lifelong passion for theater and cinema, having worked as a theater critic and actor in his early career. 🌟 The protagonist's name, Gil Gilmartin, follows a literary device called "reduplication" - the repetition of sounds - which Davies used to emphasize the character's dual existence between life and death. 🎭 The novel incorporates elements of the "theater of memory," an ancient mnemonic technique where memories are visualized as scenes in a theater, which Davies studied extensively during his academic career.