: Unnatural Causes
Author: P.D. James
I wanted to like this book, I really did. Supposedly, mystery fans the world over love P.D. James’ mysteries, but if this is characteristic of them, I’m definitely the opposite of a fan. If anything, James has a gift for making an exciting subject like murder boring. The book is tedious, glacier-paced, and as each character is introduced, we’re given several pages of meaningless background material. The mystery itself is basically a "Who cares." The plot has a mystery writer discovered dead, floating in a dinghy, his hands chopped off at the wrist — exactly like the opening scene of the novel he’s writing. James seems to think this is a stunning opening, innovative as all get out — I found it boring and pointless. I didn’t like any of her characters, and thus didn’t care one way or another what happened in the book. The murder mystery itself (i.e. the plot), wasn’t bad, but I was so disinterested it’s hard to judge. James is a good writer. Her style and diction is concise and elegant, remarkable in some ways, but there’s something about her style that turns me off. It reminds me a lot of John LeCarre, who I can’t read to save my life. Two paragraphs and I’m zoning, my mind drifting off. Nothing captures my interest for some reason. Strange and sad, but I’ve learned to accept it. I’ve stopped even trying to read LeCarre, and while I might give James another chance in the future, she’s heading for that same inglorious position in my library. I liked her Children of Men and I’d had great hopes for one of her mysteries, but this one really let me down.
Topic: [/book] |
