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A review by litdoes
Little Hands Clapping by Dan Rhodes
4.0
A wondrously wicked and funny novel, that bears all of Dan Rhodes's signature wit and morbid humour. In a quirky little museum in a German town, an old, clinically reticent caretaker and the locally renowned and respected Doctor Frohlicher share a clandestine alliance that is more sinister than strange.
Meanwhile, in the Portuguese town of Rio Douro, two other characters take centrestage; Mauro and Madalena, village sweethearts whose story would intertwine with the the former mismatched pair's under Rhodes's masterful storytelling strokes. Readers who have read his previous works would be familiar with the succinct and yet impactful way Rhodes make his characters come alive with complete backstories to engage the reader. There is a kind of authenticity that Rhodes endows his characters that make them appear distinctive and fully-formed, no matter the size of their roles in the story.
While there are a few shockingly graphic macabre scenes that almost made me retch, they are neither spun out for cheap thrills nor do they come across as the author's self-gratifying attempts at horror. As unlikely as it sounds, this odd combination of love story/suspense thriller/madcap comedy works to good, if not great, effect.
Meanwhile, in the Portuguese town of Rio Douro, two other characters take centrestage; Mauro and Madalena, village sweethearts whose story would intertwine with the the former mismatched pair's under Rhodes's masterful storytelling strokes. Readers who have read his previous works would be familiar with the succinct and yet impactful way Rhodes make his characters come alive with complete backstories to engage the reader. There is a kind of authenticity that Rhodes endows his characters that make them appear distinctive and fully-formed, no matter the size of their roles in the story.
While there are a few shockingly graphic macabre scenes that almost made me retch, they are neither spun out for cheap thrills nor do they come across as the author's self-gratifying attempts at horror. As unlikely as it sounds, this odd combination of love story/suspense thriller/madcap comedy works to good, if not great, effect.