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A review by christajls
Caught by Lisa Moore
4.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
Caught first hit my radar when it was nominated for the 2013 Giller prize and if I was one of the judges it would have won.
The novel centres about David Slaney. He is a fabulous complex character. He’s an escaped prison convict and an international drug smuggler yet he’s extremely personable and his story is quite engrossing. You almost find yourself wanting him to succeed in breaking a ton of laws. On the other side of the coin, however, is Patterson, the cop assigned to Slaney’s case. Though the novel spends less time on Patterson, he feels no less developed than Slaney. A testament to Moore’s eye for detail. As the narrative switches back and forth between them you find yourself rooting for each one to succeed, even though they have such opposing goals.
Lisa Moore’s writing is quick, clever and insightful. You could almost miss how brilliant it is because it flows so smoothly. For example: “He could feel luck like an animal presence, feral and watchful. He would have to coax it into the open. Grab it by the throat.” Her descriptions were spot on and conjured up incredibly detailed scenes in my mind while reading. Strong characters, great writing, Caught is yet another example of why Canadian literature rocks.
Caught first hit my radar when it was nominated for the 2013 Giller prize and if I was one of the judges it would have won.
The novel centres about David Slaney. He is a fabulous complex character. He’s an escaped prison convict and an international drug smuggler yet he’s extremely personable and his story is quite engrossing. You almost find yourself wanting him to succeed in breaking a ton of laws. On the other side of the coin, however, is Patterson, the cop assigned to Slaney’s case. Though the novel spends less time on Patterson, he feels no less developed than Slaney. A testament to Moore’s eye for detail. As the narrative switches back and forth between them you find yourself rooting for each one to succeed, even though they have such opposing goals.
Lisa Moore’s writing is quick, clever and insightful. You could almost miss how brilliant it is because it flows so smoothly. For example: “He could feel luck like an animal presence, feral and watchful. He would have to coax it into the open. Grab it by the throat.” Her descriptions were spot on and conjured up incredibly detailed scenes in my mind while reading. Strong characters, great writing, Caught is yet another example of why Canadian literature rocks.