A review by fondof_hats
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This was a clever concept, executed somewhat chaotically. I don't mind that the chapters flipped back and forth between the present day conflict and the narrator's past, but it was strange to me that she frequently dropped information about how the story would end. That deflated the mystery and suspense, which, in a book about Agatha Christie, was disappointing. I also found the narrator to be selfish and cold throughout the book, which made her constant claims of victimhood irritating. No doubt she *had* been through awful things—grief and loss and abuse—but she showed no empathy for any of the other characters, and used and manipulated and discarded them,
including the person she claimed to love
.
Even the child around whom so much of the plot revolves — who is idolized by Nan — is pretty heartless. She's annoyed when she sees her father crying, which I find tasteless.
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