I was a little startled to learn that Thomas E. Kennedy, who appears to be well respected in literary circles, has not had any books published in the U.S. until In The Company Of Angels. I had heard his name and his Copenhagen Quartet mentioned in various places, but had never taken the time to search him out. Luckily I received this review copy. From what I can tell, In The Company of Angels is the third book of the Copenhagen Quartet and was originally titled Greene’s Summer.
Bernard Greene, a poetry teacher, survived brutal torture in Chile under Pinochet’s regime and is now in Copenhagen receiving treatment at a survivor center. His wife and son are among The Disappeared. He is at first enamored by and then befriends Michela Ibsen who has survived domestic abuse, a daughter’s suicide, and is currently in an abusive relationship with a man 10 years her junior. The chapters of the book alternate focusing on these two and the cast of characters that surrounds them, including Bernardo’s psychologist, Dr. Kristensen, who becomes haunted by the things Bernardo has told him; Michela’s twisted boyfriend, Voss; and Michela’s curmudgeonly father, who is dying of cancer.
The novel revolves around its characters reconciling themselves with who they have become. Some are trying to re-establish their sense of human worth. Bernardo imagines the following conversation early in the novel as he struggles to find reasons to leave his apartment:
One question, Dr. Kristensen: How much of a survivor, in fact, survives? How much must remain of a survivor for him also to be called a man? Some of us who are still present and accounted for perhaps are desaparecido nonetheless, invisible pieces missing from the whole… Perhaps there is nothing left there, doctor. Perhaps it is all gone. Perhaps all that is left is the screaming. Empty screaming to fill empty ears.
Others, like Voss and Dr. Kristensen, are slowly devolving as confusion and paranoia begin to warp their thinking. Voss becomes obsessed with Michela and his own perversions. Dr. Kristensen, who was obsessed with Bernardo’s case, begins to have waking nightmares from the things he has heard.
As both titles, In The Company of Angels and Greene’s Summer, suggest, this is ultimately a novel of hope and resilience. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but even Voss and Dr. Kristensen have glimmers of hope in their darkened states. It is a refreshing literary 
read.
Kennedy’s descriptions of Copenhagen and the summer season are excellent. David Applefield writes, “Kennedy does for Copenhagen what Joyce did for Dublin.” This book will make you want to read the accompanying three. You can read more about the Copenhagen Quartet and Thomas E. Kennedy at his website.
