A review by caramels
The Dwarves of Death by Jonathan Coe

5.0

If reading feels like travelling, reading Jonathan Coe feels like coming back home. Warm, comforting and reassuring in a way or another, and that’s what I felt once again all throughout the book. It’s a love story (but not quite), a thriller (but not only) and a mystery (in more than one way) where - as always when it comes down to Jonathan Coe - every character feels like a living person that you expect walking right in front of you any minute, and even the one character that’s supposed to be flat and boring, is so well constructed that she comes off as the exact opposite, like a girl with her own personality, even somewhat funny, and very much alive (whereas other authors may have the opposite problem). I’m not really into music but the story never felt boring at all, even if music is one of the main themes (besides Jonathan Coe can take a mere scene like waiting for the bus and transform it into an emotional tragicomic experience. Seriously the man could talk about the weather for pages and I still would be as interested as ever). I loved the dialogues, the plot twists and the interconnections. This story was a real gem. I don’t understand the average of 3.07 stars and think it deserves a lot more.