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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
well this was a wild and gripping ride!
i have to admit it started a tad slow, but it wasn't long until i was caught up in the tale which flip-flopped from the third-person current narrator to the first-person narrator of the past.
i did resort to a bunch of googling to learn more about the gannets and centuries-old annual guga hunt. i love scotland and have long wanted to get to the hebrides and his has just moved it up on my list.
the end was sort of a surprise, though as it unfolded i could see that all the signs were given. i am anxious to get my hands on the next title in the series.
i have to admit it started a tad slow, but it wasn't long until i was caught up in the tale which flip-flopped from the third-person current narrator to the first-person narrator of the past.
i did resort to a bunch of googling to learn more about the gannets and centuries-old annual guga hunt. i love scotland and have long wanted to get to the hebrides and his has just moved it up on my list.
the end was sort of a surprise, though as it unfolded i could see that all the signs were given. i am anxious to get my hands on the next title in the series.
I have not read Peter May's mysteries before, but now I am curious to read more. The Black House takes place on the Scottish isle of Lewis, mixing in Gaelic and lots of local flavor. Fin, a cop who grew up on Lewis, is sent back there to deal with what might be either a serial murderer or a copycat of a murder in Edinburgh where he works. Alternating chapters in the present with those from the past, this book peels back the layers of its story, each layer adding new textures and complexities to the mystery. The past reaches out into the present and challenges the future for several of the characters. As a fan of many things Scottish, especially the isles, I loved this mini vacation to the wind and waves, the sadness and small joys that make up life there.
I picked this book off the library shelf because it is set in the Outer Hebrides. I was not disappointed. Years ago I visited the Outer Hebrides around the summer solstice. One day the weather was calm and sunny; the next a terrible storm blew through--not much rain, but brutal winds.
May does a great job of capturing the bleak,landscape and the moody, changeable weather of the islands. Before I read this, I had not heard of the annual guga hunt. May's description of the rock and the hunt itself have a lifelike immediacy. But it's no fun excursion, rather a primitive rite of passage for the community.
In addition to the vivid portrayal of setting, the characters are also fully developed. May seamlessly presents exposition in the back-and-forth points of view of the characters in the past and present. Fin, the protagonist, is presented as likeable and sympathetic, but neurotic. His self-centered absorption in his own problems has caused problems in the past and present as well. In fact, it seems like the repressive religion and violent weather of the islands have combined to spur neuroses in just about all the locals. This is not only a well-crafted story, but a glimpse into life on Lewis and Harris.
May does a great job of capturing the bleak,landscape and the moody, changeable weather of the islands. Before I read this, I had not heard of the annual guga hunt. May's description of the rock and the hunt itself have a lifelike immediacy. But it's no fun excursion, rather a primitive rite of passage for the community.
In addition to the vivid portrayal of setting, the characters are also fully developed. May seamlessly presents exposition in the back-and-forth points of view of the characters in the past and present. Fin, the protagonist, is presented as likeable and sympathetic, but neurotic. His self-centered absorption in his own problems has caused problems in the past and present as well. In fact, it seems like the repressive religion and violent weather of the islands have combined to spur neuroses in just about all the locals. This is not only a well-crafted story, but a glimpse into life on Lewis and Harris.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
mysterious
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I read this book without the benefit of the author's name, I would have bet money that it was part of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. Like French, May filled this novel with spectacular writing, atmospheric settings, and flawed characters dealing with deeply embedded traumas. There's a cop and there's a murder, but ultimately the crime feels more like a jumping off point than an integral part of this story. Instead, we follow Fin back and forth in his history as he revisits the remote Scottish island where he grew up.
This character-driven mystery has won several awards (including the Barry award for Crime Novel of the Year in 2013) and, as I said, is beautifully written. Ultimately, however, this one didn't hit the mark for me. It's no spoiler to say that Fin has had the worst luck in his lifetime, with one trauma compounding another. We start in present day, but bounce back and forth through his life in a non-linear way, which made everything feel just a bit more convoluted than it had to. The mystery is layers deep and each layer had to be peeled back, but by the end I was just ready to move on.
This character-driven mystery has won several awards (including the Barry award for Crime Novel of the Year in 2013) and, as I said, is beautifully written. Ultimately, however, this one didn't hit the mark for me. It's no spoiler to say that Fin has had the worst luck in his lifetime, with one trauma compounding another. We start in present day, but bounce back and forth through his life in a non-linear way, which made everything feel just a bit more convoluted than it had to. The mystery is layers deep and each layer had to be peeled back, but by the end I was just ready to move on.
This was a super slow start for me, so much so that I almost gave up. I'm really glad I didn't! Turned out to be very surprising and hard to put down at the end.
By the end I understood what aaaaalll those flashbacks were about, but holy moly I wondered what happened to the murder mystery for a while. The twist felt a little forced. No foreshadowing, just whacked with “psych!” But it wasn’t awful.
#book that takes place on an island. I liked this, a bit over the top, especially at the end. Without mentioning spoilers, also a bit unrealistic seemingly to me on some other fronts earlier in the book. :)
I will read the next one, need to find out what happens next with Fin!
I will read the next one, need to find out what happens next with Fin!