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A review by mrsfligs
Origin by Diana Abu-Jaber
4.0
Brief Description: Lena Dawson is a fingerprint specialist who has an odd gift for communicating almost telepathically with crime scenes. When a series of SIDS deaths strike an odd note within her, Lena feels compelled to look deeper into the cases. However, the more she explores, the more convinced she is that a serial killer of babies is on the loose and, odder yet, the killer seems to have a connection to Lena herself. As Lena investigates her past and the current crimes, she is drawn into the confusing web of her own past, including the stories told to her by her adoptive parents. As she confronts her own origins, Lena learns how the past has followed her into the present.
My Thoughts: Although the book description may sound like a straightforward mystery, it is anything but. The book had the strangest and most elusive tone to it. It is like a standard mystery was wrapped inside a cotton blanket and then pushed out through the fibers of the blanket into the book. Lena is aloof and distant from us as readers, and there is an almost dream-like feel to the book. Although I was almost convinced that Lena’s long-held and fantastical origin story about herself was true, Abu-Jaber is giving us cold hard reality but wrapping it up in a strange dream-like texture. This makes for an odd read. To this day, I’m not what to make of this book. It definitely isn’t your standard mystery in tone and feel. If you’re looking for a mystery with a literary and dream-like feel to it, this would be a good choice.
My Thoughts: Although the book description may sound like a straightforward mystery, it is anything but. The book had the strangest and most elusive tone to it. It is like a standard mystery was wrapped inside a cotton blanket and then pushed out through the fibers of the blanket into the book. Lena is aloof and distant from us as readers, and there is an almost dream-like feel to the book. Although I was almost convinced that Lena’s long-held and fantastical origin story about herself was true, Abu-Jaber is giving us cold hard reality but wrapping it up in a strange dream-like texture. This makes for an odd read. To this day, I’m not what to make of this book. It definitely isn’t your standard mystery in tone and feel. If you’re looking for a mystery with a literary and dream-like feel to it, this would be a good choice.