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A review by lindy_b
Over Tumbled Graves: A Novel by Jess Walter
2.0
This was hyped up to me and I can appreciate why: the running commentary on crime as media phenomenon and serial killers as celebrities and the portrayal of the screwedupness of police, in general, is notable. The main character, Caroline, participates in two instances of police brutality, other major character , and of course . At the same time, Caroline's positioning as the only named female member of the police force situates her to see that all the men in the force do is measure their dicks, refuse accountability, harass women, and lie to protect their masculine egos. At the end of the day, it's not really accurate to say that serial killers are psychological aberrations when most men are misogynists.
That being said, the subplots involving the cops' personal lives (such as the one about Caroline's mom) were often poorly integrated into the rest of the book and cheesy. The central romance was not enjoyable. The 1990s-style race blindness is extremely noticeable and has not aged well. Finally, I wish that Walter had recognized benevolent misogyny (?) as a form of misogyny as how it contributes to men's senses of masculinity and not left it uninterrogated when it is, in fact, an essential component to the plot.
Spoiler
tampers with crime scenesSpoiler
the main serial killer is an ex-cop whose status initially protected himThat being said, the subplots involving the cops' personal lives (such as the one about Caroline's mom) were often poorly integrated into the rest of the book and cheesy. The central romance was not enjoyable. The 1990s-style race blindness is extremely noticeable and has not aged well. Finally, I wish that Walter had recognized benevolent misogyny (?) as a form of misogyny as how it contributes to men's senses of masculinity and not left it uninterrogated when it is, in fact, an essential component to the plot.