A review by beemini
A Dark-Adapted Eye by Ruth Rendell

4.0

I borrowed this book after seeing it had won an Edgar Prize, and because I had yet to read any Ruth Rendell, who I have just learned about but who is apparently one of the best English mystery writers. I've read that this is one of the first mysteries (published in 1993) not to have an unambiguous explanation for all plot points, and one can see how Rendell influenced contemporary mystery writers like Tana French, with layers of ambiguity, the unreliability of memory, and psychological depth. Also present are the English obsessions with class, status, and manners, village gossip, a rich sense of WWII slice-of-life detail, and an examination of interwar and post-war gender roles. Repression is the name of the game. It was a leisurely read, at times so vague I had to double back and check names, but always in control of itself.