A review by eml113
The Book of Evidence by John Banville

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think what kept me hooked was the narrator. Firstly, his way of describing things and people—so vividly and with such idiosyncrasy. Secondly, how unreliable he is, how twisted his world view is. His account begs to be dissected (even as he himself warns you not to look for deeper meaning). You want there to be a motive, even as the narrator refuses to give you that. 

Though the murder is the point of drama the narrative hinges on, the story lingers on a very different “crime”—the narrator’s self-centered otherness, his inhumanity, his lack of real identity and direction.