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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I seem to be at odds with others in that I most enjoyed the slow paced recollections and island imagery more than the 'dark thriller' aspects. I got quite absorbed in the story and enjoyed the developing context although thought some of it seemed a little obvious and the very end was a bit naff. Came across a little bit written for TV. But I liked the Lewis elements a lot, and so much rang true about life on a Scottish island and relationships, where you know both everything and nothing about the people in your community. I'll plan to read the next couple in the trilogy.
dark
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I adored the scenery in this book, and the small-town whodunit. But a few key elements pulled me out of the story, and I couldn't love it. Mainly: Our main character is supposed to have lost his son in an accident just a month ago, but he barely ever thinks about him. He learns, however, that he has another son from a relationship in his late teens. At the end, he has practically replaced his wife and the child he lost, with a new love interest and another son. To me, this story uses grief and heavy emotional traumas as backdrops, rather than actually digging into them.
This was recommended to me following a conversation about how crime novels mobilise liminal/marginal island spaces as settings 'beyond the bounds' and what that allows them to do metaphorically as well as narratively.
I found this novel rather challenging however, so much so that rather than devour it in a matter of days, as is my usual pattern, I had to take a break part way through and it took me a while to return to it.
For some time I couldn't quite put my finger on why I found it such a difficult read, the evocation of place was strong, the use of descriptive language was pretty strong, dialogue less so, but then I read a single sentence and it all dropped into place. That sentence was along the lines of an old boat being freshly painted and looking like an old whore trying to make herself look younger. This, as a descriptive motif that really jarred, and is repeated again later in the novel. It's not an utterance of a character, not part of the first person narrative, but part of the third person reflective narrative and it stopped me in my tracks and I realised what I found difficult about this book.
This book is so testosterone fuelled. Not just in the actions and attitudes of the male characters but much more pervasively. The female characters in the book are simply there to advance the narratives of the male characters. There's not a single female character that has any agency. A young woman makes an allegation of rape that turns out to be false and it's all about what that says/reveals about her father, about her boyfriend and about her boyfriend's father - it's all about advancing their stories because it's their stories that drive the narrative. Moreover, these island women are also seemingly incapable for protecting their children, be it the aunt of the central character, his best friend's mother, and then his wife, the ministers wife, not one of them stands up to these men but are simply cowed by them.
There's an awful lot going on in this book, but a lot of it felt pretty standard fare, almost, 'if you put enough sub plots in there the reader won't notice they're all rather tried, tested and tired', and in the end/ing a little too convenient.
I already have the second book in this trilogy but it may be a while before it makes it to the top of the pile to be read.
I found this novel rather challenging however, so much so that rather than devour it in a matter of days, as is my usual pattern, I had to take a break part way through and it took me a while to return to it.
For some time I couldn't quite put my finger on why I found it such a difficult read, the evocation of place was strong, the use of descriptive language was pretty strong, dialogue less so, but then I read a single sentence and it all dropped into place. That sentence was along the lines of an old boat being freshly painted and looking like an old whore trying to make herself look younger. This, as a descriptive motif that really jarred, and is repeated again later in the novel. It's not an utterance of a character, not part of the first person narrative, but part of the third person reflective narrative and it stopped me in my tracks and I realised what I found difficult about this book.
This book is so testosterone fuelled. Not just in the actions and attitudes of the male characters but much more pervasively. The female characters in the book are simply there to advance the narratives of the male characters. There's not a single female character that has any agency. A young woman makes an allegation of rape that turns out to be false and it's all about what that says/reveals about her father, about her boyfriend and about her boyfriend's father - it's all about advancing their stories because it's their stories that drive the narrative. Moreover, these island women are also seemingly incapable for protecting their children, be it the aunt of the central character, his best friend's mother, and then his wife, the ministers wife, not one of them stands up to these men but are simply cowed by them.
There's an awful lot going on in this book, but a lot of it felt pretty standard fare, almost, 'if you put enough sub plots in there the reader won't notice they're all rather tried, tested and tired', and in the end/ing a little too convenient.
I already have the second book in this trilogy but it may be a while before it makes it to the top of the pile to be read.
This book's only real fault is a lack of connection with the main character. It does everything else perfectly well. It's an excellent crime story in its own right and it's equally good as an insight into the lives of those living on the Scottish island of Lewis.
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Anytime I get a chance to visit Scotland I am happy. So when Fin was assigned a case on the Isle of Lewis I decided it was going to be a trip I was happy to take. I knew Fin was there to investigate a murder but it turns out the book was more focused on Fin's back story and ultimately his past led him to the answers he needed. I would have read this book in one sitting if I could because I simply didn't want to put it down.
2.5 stars This started out strong but it lost steam and then dragged a with too many backstory and not enough of the mystery.