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omarickman's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The first real problem with this book is that I simply did not care about the main mystery or plot line at all. I didn't care what had happened to people, what schemes were going on behind the scenes--none of it. It did not grab my attention nor was it obvious as to why any of the characters should care either. The next major issue is that I did not care about the characters themselves. This book is full of morally gray characters and, while I appreciate when someone isn't fully bad or fully good, it did create an apathetic lens from which to view the main character, Quirke. I didn't feel this sense of longing or desire to know more about the main character. I also did not care enough to root for him or against him. Overall the book was very "meh."
Additionally, this was one of those books where I was painfully aware the entire time that the author was a man. The way women are described in this book is distracting at best. It is also disappointing that many of the men in this book have women trying to sleep with them all the time. The violence against women and positioning many of them as sexual objects was a let down. While I understand that these themes and topics can be explored, they did nothing to advance the plot nor was there any meaningful commentary on it. Lastly, there was casual racism thrown throughout the book. It was hard to tell if this was the author's own thoughts or if it was the characters' thoughts and opinions. Similar to my objection of how women were portrayed in this novel, the racism did nothing to advance the plot nor was there any commentary on it.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, really. There are far better books of this genre out there. 1.5/5 Stars
Additionally, this was one of those books where I was painfully aware the entire time that the author was a man. The way women are described in this book is distracting at best. It is also disappointing that many of the men in this book have women trying to sleep with them all the time. The violence against women and positioning many of them as sexual objects was a let down. While I understand that these themes and topics can be explored, they did nothing to advance the plot nor was there any meaningful commentary on it. Lastly, there was casual racism thrown throughout the book. It was hard to tell if this was the author's own thoughts or if it was the characters' thoughts and opinions. Similar to my objection of how women were portrayed in this novel, the racism did nothing to advance the plot nor was there any commentary on it.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, really. There are far better books of this genre out there. 1.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Blood, Car accident, Racism, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
sixdaysago's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An elegant twist on the detective novel, with a drunk Dublin pathologist as our wandering Marlowe, whose investigation into a missing corpse from his office starts from a point of resentment about his upbringing, only for the case to become a sort of nightmare hall mirrorshow echoing that same theme. You can see Banville relishing a slight looseness in prose - this thing moves. It's really neatly structured, too, save for a car pile-up eqsue final stretch, with revelations a-go-go.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Rape
Minor: Abortion and Racial slurs
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