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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
This is the first of a literary thriller trilogy set on the Isle of Lewis, the northernmost of the Outer Hebrides. Detective Fin Macleod, a native of the island, is dispatched from Edinburgh to investigate a gruesome murder which resembles an earlier one committed in the city. The victim in Fin’s hometown is a local bully, Angel Macritchie, with whom Fin was acquainted. Reluctant to return to the island after an absence of many years, Fin nonetheless uncovers the identity of the killer and forgotten secrets of his early years.
The narrative is split between third person limited omniscient from Fin’s viewpoint as he investigates the murder in the present and first person from Fin’s viewpoint as he revisits his troubled memories of his 18 years on the Isle of Lewis. One of the most memorable flashbacks is to that of the guga harvest, the culling of juvenile gannets, a rite of passage for young men from the island.
Detective Fin Macleod is introduced and he, like a lot of literary detectives, comes with a lot of personal baggage. His many flaws are revealed gradually as he narrates episodes of his past. He proves not to be a totally admirable human being, but he seems well aware of his shortcomings and seems to genuinely want to make amends for his failings. Life has dealt Fin some devastating blows so one cannot help but have some sympathy for him.
What is interesting about a lot of the characters is that they are all shown to have both positive and negative traits. First impressions are often shown to be inaccurate. Angel, the victim, has no shortage of enemies. “’There’s a whole generation of men from Crobost who suffered at one time or another at the hands of Angel Macritchie’” (52) and the general feeling is that “’Whoever did it deserves a fucking medal’” (112). Yet Fin admits that in his role as cook for the guga hunters, he succeeded “in earning their respect” (197) and his behaviour towards a paraplegic classmate is better than that of anyone else (255 – 256).
The quality of the writing surpasses what is often found in mysteries. Diction such as “fallen into desuetude” (49) and “the gloom of this tenebrous place” (215) is the exception in mysteries but seems to be the rule for Peter May. Of course, this book is more than a mystery; in fact, the murder investigation is secondary to the exploration of Fin’s past.
There are several surprises along the way but the author plays no tricks. There are clues throughout although they are subtle. For me, the biggest clues were Fin’s inability to remember certain things though his memory of other events is almost eidetic. The revelations at the end answer the questions the reader might have in the course of reading the book. Most readers will correctly identify the killer, but his motivation is not fully explained until the end.
The portrayal of life in a small town is such that anyone who has ever lived in one will immediately recognize as accurate. As a young man, Fin wants to escape “the claustrophobia of village life, the petulance and pettiness, the harbouring of grudges” (180) but as an adult he realizes the villagers’ “struggle for existence against overwhelming odds. Good people, most of them” (79). Most of us have had such mixed emotions about our hometowns.
I’m really looking forward to the second and third books of this trilogy.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
The narrative is split between third person limited omniscient from Fin’s viewpoint as he investigates the murder in the present and first person from Fin’s viewpoint as he revisits his troubled memories of his 18 years on the Isle of Lewis. One of the most memorable flashbacks is to that of the guga harvest, the culling of juvenile gannets, a rite of passage for young men from the island.
Detective Fin Macleod is introduced and he, like a lot of literary detectives, comes with a lot of personal baggage. His many flaws are revealed gradually as he narrates episodes of his past. He proves not to be a totally admirable human being, but he seems well aware of his shortcomings and seems to genuinely want to make amends for his failings. Life has dealt Fin some devastating blows so one cannot help but have some sympathy for him.
What is interesting about a lot of the characters is that they are all shown to have both positive and negative traits. First impressions are often shown to be inaccurate. Angel, the victim, has no shortage of enemies. “’There’s a whole generation of men from Crobost who suffered at one time or another at the hands of Angel Macritchie’” (52) and the general feeling is that “’Whoever did it deserves a fucking medal’” (112). Yet Fin admits that in his role as cook for the guga hunters, he succeeded “in earning their respect” (197) and his behaviour towards a paraplegic classmate is better than that of anyone else (255 – 256).
The quality of the writing surpasses what is often found in mysteries. Diction such as “fallen into desuetude” (49) and “the gloom of this tenebrous place” (215) is the exception in mysteries but seems to be the rule for Peter May. Of course, this book is more than a mystery; in fact, the murder investigation is secondary to the exploration of Fin’s past.
There are several surprises along the way but the author plays no tricks. There are clues throughout although they are subtle. For me, the biggest clues were Fin’s inability to remember certain things though his memory of other events is almost eidetic. The revelations at the end answer the questions the reader might have in the course of reading the book. Most readers will correctly identify the killer, but his motivation is not fully explained until the end.
The portrayal of life in a small town is such that anyone who has ever lived in one will immediately recognize as accurate. As a young man, Fin wants to escape “the claustrophobia of village life, the petulance and pettiness, the harbouring of grudges” (180) but as an adult he realizes the villagers’ “struggle for existence against overwhelming odds. Good people, most of them” (79). Most of us have had such mixed emotions about our hometowns.
I’m really looking forward to the second and third books of this trilogy.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
J’ai abandonné la lecture car ce n’est pas du tout ce genre d’ambiance que je recherche dans un roman policier.
Il est bien écrit, mais pour moi, il y a trop de longueurs, pas assez de suspens, il ne m’a pas du tout tenu en haleine.
Mais il plaira sûrement à d’autres personnes!
Il est bien écrit, mais pour moi, il y a trop de longueurs, pas assez de suspens, il ne m’a pas du tout tenu en haleine.
Mais il plaira sûrement à d’autres personnes!
Five stars says a lot for a reader who supposedly doesn’t like mysteries. A see how fast I read it? Captivating.
Quelle déception !
Le point positif : l’Écosse y est bien décrite et je suis très curieuse de découvrir l’Ile de Lewis. J’ai beaucoup aimé les quelques scènes qui se passaient à Glasgow (la joie de pouvoir visualiser une rue c’est quand même quelque chose).
Un autre point positif au début mais qui ensuite m’a ennuyée : le changement constant d’un chapitre sur l’enquête suivi d’un chapitre sur la vie du personnage principal.
Il y a eu quelques bons moments que je n’avais pas vu venir.
Le négatif
- le personnage principal qui est relativement ennuyant et plein de contradictions (qui je pense ne sont pas voulues). Dès qu’il rencontre une femme on nous rappelle qu’il est très beau etc, même si ça n’a rien à voir avec le plot
- les dialogues avec les femmes et les personnages féminins sont écrits avec les pieds.
- il y a finalement très peu d’enquête dans le livre et à la finj’ai l’impression que tout s’accélère soudainement (il y a 420 pages quand même). J’ai trouvé l’annonce du père d’Artair pédophile vraiment étrange : soit je n’ai pas compris les insinuations plus tôt dans le roman soit il n’y en avait pas et ce serait dommage.
- la fin avec le résultat des tests ADN m’a fait lever les yeux au ciel.
Le point positif : l’Écosse y est bien décrite et je suis très curieuse de découvrir l’Ile de Lewis. J’ai beaucoup aimé les quelques scènes qui se passaient à Glasgow (la joie de pouvoir visualiser une rue c’est quand même quelque chose).
Un autre point positif au début mais qui ensuite m’a ennuyée : le changement constant d’un chapitre sur l’enquête suivi d’un chapitre sur la vie du personnage principal.
Il y a eu quelques bons moments que je n’avais pas vu venir.
Le négatif
- le personnage principal qui est relativement ennuyant et plein de contradictions (qui je pense ne sont pas voulues). Dès qu’il rencontre une femme on nous rappelle qu’il est très beau etc, même si ça n’a rien à voir avec le plot
- les dialogues avec les femmes et les personnages féminins sont écrits avec les pieds.
- il y a finalement très peu d’enquête dans le livre et à la finj’ai l’impression que tout s’accélère soudainement (il y a 420 pages quand même). J’ai trouvé l’annonce du père d’Artair pédophile vraiment étrange : soit je n’ai pas compris les insinuations plus tôt dans le roman soit il n’y en avait pas et ce serait dommage.
- la fin avec le résultat des tests ADN m’a fait lever les yeux au ciel.
tense
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
L'architettura di questo romanzo che definire giallo è riduttivo è quasi perfetta, se non fosse per qualche minuscolo scricchiolio in alcuni passaggi. È una storia cupa, come il paesaggio che la ospita, l'isola di Lewis, che è allo stesso tempo panorama magnetico per il lettore: la roccia nera, la furia dell'oceano, la perfidia di uomini che non hanno mai visto nulla oltre l'isola che abitano. La storia di Fin è profonda, e l'alternarsi di capitoli in terza persona a capitoli scritti in soggettiva funziona, mescola i piani e fuorvia il lettore: non tutto quello che Fin racconta è affidabile, come d'altronde non lo è la memoria degli uomini, strumento attraverso cui scattano anche meccanismi di difesa. Alla fine, tutti i nodi vengono magistralmente sciolti e il segreto tremendo è destinato a morire tra le rocce di An Sgeir, condiviso da uomini che, ogni anno, come un rituale magico, si recano a caccia delle guga, tenendo viva una tradizione centenaria.
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
No
This was a great book by an author that is new to me, Peter May. It took place on a very small island of Scotland and went back and forth between Fin's current life, in which he comes home to solve a murder, and his boyhood life on the island. Twists and turns I didn't see coming make it a great read, and I'm excited to read the other 2 books in the trilogy.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No