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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I loved this literary mystery by the talented Heather Young. It grabbed my attention from the poetic opening vignette and sustained it throughout by its gorgeous prose and its intricately plotted story. The characters jumped off the page with their humanity, and I felt their tragedies so deeply. The book's excellent and suspenseful pacing led to a devastating and unexpected conclusion, but Ms. Young left me with hope for these characters I had come to love.
Wowzer! This is a ripping good story that combines a contemporary mystery set in small-town Nevada, with detailed character studies of troubled people in search of various forms of redemption. To the author's credit, most of them find what they need, while the twisty turns of plot lure readers along with inexorable pull. I loved the main character, 11 year old orphaned Sal. I pitied his shambling math teacher and the rigid social studies teacher who had tried without luck to escape the little town of her youth. I admired the quirky interplay of Sal's graphic-novel heroes with the stories of ancient peoples long dead, and the lessons the boy found from both sources. Well done, Ms. Young! What a read!
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Grim mystery about drugs addiction blame guilt.
A mystery set in a small town where every character is struggling with some kind of pain. Not a fun world to spent a lot of time in, but a true one.
A very slow burner which has moments where you contemplate the idea of redemption and the nuances involved on a person to person basis. I found myself only caring about what exactly happened Adam Merkel and was generally bored throughout the lengthy backstory sections. The story is bleak in both the setting and the characters and the ending somehow elevated the dark theme throughout. The snippets of history were interesting and tied in well with the feeling that these towns and their people are stuck in time and their pasts.
The bright points were Sal’s stories about his heroes which reflected his exploration of the difference between good and bad, and the fact that there’s a lot of grey area in between the two.
The bright points were Sal’s stories about his heroes which reflected his exploration of the difference between good and bad, and the fact that there’s a lot of grey area in between the two.
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Grim and Depressing
Review of the Harper Audio audiobook edition (June 2020) released simultaneously with the William Morrow hardcover
[2.5 bumped up to 3]
The Distant Dead was well written but the overall plot of a young boy (12 years old I think he was) drawn into drug dealing and to the fringes of a murder investigation was especially depressing. So many of the characters had issues related to substance abuse and its deadly consequences that it became tiresome to continue reading (or listening, as I followed the audiobook edition).
It wasn't a conventional investigation either, as it is a school teacher who is following up on most of the suspects and the authorities are 0nly along for the ride most of the time. In the end the solution is even more depressing than the rest of the book.
The only light spots along the way were the murder victim's passion for mathematics, the fellow teacher Nora's & her father's interest in paleontology and the subsequent impressions that those interests leave on the boy Sal. The father's description of the first tribal migrations to North America from Siberia over to Alaska was actually the highlight of the book for me. That obviously had little to do with the mystery and crime aspect of the book.
I read The Distant Dead due to its nomination for Best Novel in the 2021 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. The 75th Annual Edgar® Awards will be celebrated on April 29, 2021.
Review of the Harper Audio audiobook edition (June 2020) released simultaneously with the William Morrow hardcover
[2.5 bumped up to 3]
The Distant Dead was well written but the overall plot of a young boy (12 years old I think he was) drawn into drug dealing and to the fringes of a murder investigation was especially depressing. So many of the characters had issues related to substance abuse and its deadly consequences that it became tiresome to continue reading (or listening, as I followed the audiobook edition).
It wasn't a conventional investigation either, as it is a school teacher who is following up on most of the suspects and the authorities are 0nly along for the ride most of the time. In the end the solution is even more depressing than the rest of the book.
The only light spots along the way were the murder victim's passion for mathematics, the fellow teacher Nora's & her father's interest in paleontology and the subsequent impressions that those interests leave on the boy Sal. The father's description of the first tribal migrations to North America from Siberia over to Alaska was actually the highlight of the book for me. That obviously had little to do with the mystery and crime aspect of the book.
I read The Distant Dead due to its nomination for Best Novel in the 2021 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. The 75th Annual Edgar® Awards will be celebrated on April 29, 2021.
3.5/5.
I liked Merkel as a character right up until the end. What a selfish man. But I didn't see the end coming, so I have to hand it to the author that kept me guessing.
I liked Merkel as a character right up until the end. What a selfish man. But I didn't see the end coming, so I have to hand it to the author that kept me guessing.
I received an e-arc of this book through NetGalley.
A well-written, character driven fiction that's part crime novel, part commentary on rural America, and part thriller. It took awhile for me to get into the story, but once I got halfway through I finished the rest in a day. The strongest part of this book are the characters. They are well fleshed out and realistic with consistent motivations. No one in this book is a Mary Sue. Another great piece are the subtle plot points that are called back to that give the book its thriller edge.
My main problem with the book is that the depiction of Indigenous peoples and the discussion of origin stories could have done with some reviewing by a sensitivity reader. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to an Indigenous reader. It's not a harmful depiction, but it isn't as thoughtful or careful as it could be for how large of a plot point it is in the book.
A well-written, character driven fiction that's part crime novel, part commentary on rural America, and part thriller. It took awhile for me to get into the story, but once I got halfway through I finished the rest in a day. The strongest part of this book are the characters. They are well fleshed out and realistic with consistent motivations. No one in this book is a Mary Sue. Another great piece are the subtle plot points that are called back to that give the book its thriller edge.
My main problem with the book is that the depiction of Indigenous peoples and the discussion of origin stories could have done with some reviewing by a sensitivity reader. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to an Indigenous reader. It's not a harmful depiction, but it isn't as thoughtful or careful as it could be for how large of a plot point it is in the book.