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A review by melissa_who_reads
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
5.0
Loved this book. Penny explores the nature of evil in this book - evil big and small: what it means to one's soul to be a witness to evil, what it does to those who flirt with evil, where does our humanity falter in the face of evil.
The plot revolves around a 9-year-old boy, who finds a big gun -- a very big gun -- in the woods. He tells everyone, but because he is a kid with a vivid imagination who shares his stories, no one believes him. But the next day, he is dead ....
This one is engrossing from the beginning. I did not want to put it down, but I had to -- little things like work and life got in the way of finishing it. Finally I stayed up on a Saturday night to read the last few chapters: and it was very satisfying. The endnote was about the real-life creator of a big gun -- set in the Canadian woods, pointing at the US -- and his life and death. I wanted more: I wanted to know the exact image of the Whore of Babylon Penny was using, as I was unsure I understood all the implications she was making with that image.
But really, a small quibble with the endnote is barely worth mentioning. And the rest of the book holds up, including the depiction of the fragility of human response in the face of such evil. One is left feeling monumentally sad for one character, who has had the complete foundation of her life ripped away from her by the end of the book, and she is left to Ruth Zardo for aid and comfort.
Looking forward to the next in the installment of Inspector Gamache books, especially given the tantalizing hints of "what next" for the Chief Inspector, who has retired very young and clearly is beginning to look at the next chapter of his life.
The plot revolves around a 9-year-old boy, who finds a big gun -- a very big gun -- in the woods. He tells everyone, but because he is a kid with a vivid imagination who shares his stories, no one believes him. But the next day, he is dead ....
This one is engrossing from the beginning. I did not want to put it down, but I had to -- little things like work and life got in the way of finishing it. Finally I stayed up on a Saturday night to read the last few chapters: and it was very satisfying. The endnote was about the real-life creator of a big gun -- set in the Canadian woods, pointing at the US -- and his life and death. I wanted more: I wanted to know the exact image of the Whore of Babylon Penny was using, as I was unsure I understood all the implications she was making with that image.
But really, a small quibble with the endnote is barely worth mentioning. And the rest of the book holds up, including the depiction of the fragility of human response in the face of such evil. One is left feeling monumentally sad for one character, who has had the complete foundation of her life ripped away from her by the end of the book, and she is left to Ruth Zardo for aid and comfort.
Looking forward to the next in the installment of Inspector Gamache books, especially given the tantalizing hints of "what next" for the Chief Inspector, who has retired very young and clearly is beginning to look at the next chapter of his life.