Long Black Veil: A Novel

by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2017

For fans of Donna Tartt and Megan Abbott, a novel about a woman whose family and identity are threatened by the secrets of her past, from the New York Times bestselling author of She's Not There

On a warm August night in 1980, six college students sneak into the dilapidated ruins of Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary, looking for a thrill. With a pianist, a painter and a teacher among them, the friends are full of potential. But it’s not long before they realize they are locked in—and not alone. When the friends get lost and separated, the terrifying night ends in tragedy, and the unexpected, far-reaching consequences reverberate through the survivors’ lives. As they go their separate ways, trying to move on, it becomes clear that their dark night in the prison has changed them all. Decades later, new evidence is found, and the dogged detective investigating the cold case charges one of them—celebrity chef Jon Casey— with murder. Only Casey’s old friend Judith Carrigan can testify to his innocence.

But Judith is protecting long-held secrets of her own – secrets that, if brought to light, could destroy her career as a travel writer and tear her away from her fireman husband and teenage son. If she chooses to help Casey, she risks losing the life she has fought to build and the woman she has struggled to become. In any life that contains a “before” and an “after,” how is it possible to live one life, not two?

Weaving deftly between 1980 and the present day, and told in an unforgettable voice, Long Black Veil is an intensely atmospheric thriller that explores the meaning of identity, loyalty, and love. Readers will hail this as Boylan’s triumphant return to fiction.

• ISBN10: 0451496337
• ISBN13: 9780451496331
• Publish Date: 9 January 2018 (first published 11 April 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Broadway Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451496331

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

What did I just read? There was a prison, a murder, a disappearance, and a chase to capture at the end, but it’s not like any mystery or thriller I’ve ever read before. 

>The mystery isn’t really the central story, but the stage. 
>There was a spooky weird atmosphere, I kept waiting for some paranormal aspect to pop out. But no, it’s selective & fanciful story-telling of an everyday murder whodunit amidst a literary middle-age crisis book. 
>Lots of characters to track in the beginning, but they spread out & distinguish themselves.
>Fatphobic
>Most characters are transphobic, but there are a few good ones.
>One of the main MCs is a trans woman, pre and post transition. Love her, her voice & perspective. 
>Interesting broach of the old stealth guard & the new transition kids dynamic
>Plot hinges on two of the friends group being homophobic
>No Killing of The Gays!
>One MC teaches piano to special needs children, and is not a good sister/care taker of her autistic brother. 
>Said autistic brother’s role ultimately is pretty cool, & with a better outcome.

Agree with the Publishers Weekly Starred review:

“Boylan’s bluff, witty prose (“my actual innocence got on his nerves”) charms away any impatience with more far-fetched aspects of her loopy plot. And embedded in the whodunit is a heartwarming midlife love story, in which hard-won candor, tenacity, and a generous sense of humor are the most saving of graces.”

And Kirkus Review: 

Still, it’s hard to stop reading as these well-crafted characters confront middle age while confronting the defining event of their youth.

Interesting article on Long Black Veil song.  for the youngins and general clueless re: the title (like me).

Even being offkilter and fatphobic, the writing, the ownvoices transness and general engagement makes up for it to earn 4 stars. 

[Jane]

**I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.**

Long Black Veil caught my attention, however, for the “living with all your selves” portion of the front cover quote. Because I have dissociative identity disorder. I thought that that was what it was about, but no. Even though the story tells that of a trans person, I did relate and find myself figuring out how to better put into words what it is like having DID. People don’t understand that it’s not just about loving your body and being OK with it that way.

The story itself is full-circle, which I did enjoy.

Full review at Janepedia: https://janepedia.com/long-black-veil/

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Long Black Veil in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Long Black Veil is described and labeled as a thriller about a crime long past, but if I’m being honest it reads much more like a study on human nature, specifically focusing on the guilt we carry. I think knowing this before going into it would greatly improve one’s enjoyment of the novel, so I think it’s an important note to make.



Long Black Veil will immediately grab your attention; any novel that starts off talking about a character’s ‘first death’ will likely be one that’ll turn a few heads. How could it not? I don’t know how everybody else will react to this beginning, but it had me immediately doubting the accuracy of the novel’s labeling. How could a character have died more than once, and still be here to provide narrative? Is there a magical or fantasy element in here? A psychological one? (where the perspective is confused about what actually happened). Or are we being intentionally misled, with the character using terms that don’t strictly meet their definitions or intent. Without reading further, I don’t think I could have fathomed a guess as to which one of these options it was.
Before I sat down to write this review I took a few minutes to take a peek at what others thought of this novel. It seems that I’m not the only one that felt conflicted about it, not just in reading it, but in how to assess and review it. While I can safely say that it was an interesting read, I did feel like I was consistently being interrupted from the narrative, that I was losing immersion somehow.
In the beginning I think it was because I didn’t really know who was who, and it took me about four chapters to actually figure that out. Later it was because things got so complex, with the truth alternatively being ousted or obfuscated. It was disorienting.
No matter how this novel makes you feel, I can all but promise that it’ll make you think. Seeing Judith’s dramatic change over time will make you think about everything she’s gone through to get to that point in her life. Seeing Quentin’s pain may confuse you, as he won’t even admit the reason for it to himself, let alone to Rachel and the rest of his friends. There are lots of odd and different bits to this story, and all of them together make for a lot of emotional noise, but I think that was the intent.
Long Black Veil is intended to get us thinking; I believe we’re supposed to take the time to assess how it made us feel. That isn’t a simple matter to take on, which explains why so many of us feel conflicted upon finishing this novel (though I believe it’s also because we’re uncertain on if we enjoyed it or not). I for one finished this novel feeling like the story was left incomplete; it left me feeling a little sad and dejected.
I’ll be curious to see if others agree with my assessment, and whether you do or do not agree, I would really love to hear what you have to say about this novel. Partially because I’m still not sure myself, and would very much like a chance to talk it out with others.
Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[lovelybookshelf]

I love how JFB tells a story, the way she allows it to unfold in its own time. LONG BLACK VEIL contains elements of a thriller, a mystery, a hint of paranormal, but is still a wonderfully character-driven piece of literary fiction. The theme of a trans person living in stealth was profound. I think those of us who are younger, who've always had online community, can't fully grasp how isolating this was in pre-internet days. This eventually comes back around to address the fact that our past will always be an important part of us, even if we try to leave it behind. Great read. #ownvoices #translit