Haunting and unforgettable, this is a book to be savored, a sensual and often poetic exploration of a man's internal conflict between good and evil and of a search for love amidst darkness and despair. He goes to Persia, where he masters his talent for torture and murder and, finally, he is involved in the construction of the Paris Opera House-and the creation of his labyrinthine world beneath that structure. In this novel, Susan Kay re imagines Gaston Lerouxs famous novel The Phantom of the Opera in greater depth and detail. The narrative encompasses Erik's disastrous formative years with his mother, his caged existence among a gypsy tribe and a period of relative happiness in Rome, where he perfects his skills as an architect and builder. Susan Kay did not travel to Iran to research the novel, although she did research in. Erik's early life is shocking in its isolation. We follow Erik throughout his life and gain insight into how and why he became resident at the Paris opera house.

Kay proves herself to be a wonderful author and a definite Phan'. This version begins with the birth of the horribly disfigured Erik and continues into the years following his doomed romance with Christine, ending in an unexpected and triumphant redemption. She is most known for her book, Phantom, which expands upon the history of Erik, the character from Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, in an episodic format of seven chapters from different characters' points of view. Susan Kay's 'Phantom' is a much more rounded creation and a must read. In a powerful and moving tour de force (the American debut for this British writer whose first novel, Legacy, won the Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize and the Betty Trask Award), she adds a new depth and perspective, moving well beyond the familiar boundaries of the story. Retelling and expanding upon a well known and beloved classic is risky business, but Kay acquits herself with brio in this retelling of Gaston Leroux's 1911 tale, The Phantom of the Opera.

The phantom of the opera susan kay