An irrepressible exuberance shines throughout, as well as a reliance on coincidence and resistance to neat resolution, both of which run counter to the standard pleasures of the crime genre. The wonder of Atkinson's novels has been their joie de vivre, extraordinary given the high incidence of violent death. Over the four novels Atkinson has painted Jackson into a fractured universe of missing wives, near-death experiences, exploded houses and estranged lovers, but the absence nearest to his heart – his "own dear grail" – remains his sister Niamh, murdered as a teenager in a brutal crime that was never solved. This is the fourth book to feature "semi-retired" private investigator Jackson Brodie, a tender curmudgeon and solver of mysteries whose appeal lies in the fact that he remains a mystery to himself. K ate Atkinson's novels have always been built around lost girls, from the Whitbread-winning family saga Behind the Scenes at the Museum to her current bravura crime series.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |