Hmmm… I struggled with this rating. I enjoyed the book, but felt somehow disconnected from the characters throughout the novel’s entirety. There was little emotion, despite the turn of events; and even when the main mystery commenced, there was little substance. This may have been due to the fact that it was quite easy to determine "whodunit", and therefore, a sense of anticipation so often enjoyed in mysteries, was never cultivated. I’m guessing the author was attempting to write a simple literary novel, but seemed, instead, to fall back into the familiar territory of his popular murder mysteries. Therefore, this led to a novel that was somewhere in the middle of the two genres.
Also, although this novel was written in first-person narrative, it was explained in the past tense, lending to it, a flaccid quality. In other words, at no point does the reader feel as though they’re in the middle of the action, but merely reflecting upon the events of the past. In some ways, that method produces a very nostalgic memoir, allowing us to relive the narrator’s experience right along with him. However, it lent a bit of dullness to situations that could have otherwise, been chock-full of drama. Overall, however, it was still an engaging novel, and one that did keep me interested for the most part.
Read 10/23/14
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