It’s magical realism does hardboiled noir with a tinge of southern gothic by way of Brooklyn. A low rating makes it seem like I missed what Gran was doing, and maybe I did. There’s the unreliable narrator and the meta-commentary on mystery/mysticism and how it’s a deconstruction of but also a love letter to the genre of noir and Phillip Marlowe— all that I get. But so much of the book would only make sense if Claire were in a straitjacket in Utah and this was happening in her mind, to the point where I would not have been surprised if that was the reveal. The actual ending (not who did it and why, that’s telegraphed for half the book before Claire has a revelation) is so out of sync with the rest of the book that the fever dream seems more plausible.
Bottom line: a read that’s more quick and fun than I’ve made it sound. Gran should trust her readers more. I’m too spoiled by Lou Berney. I wish it had surprised me, with its characters if not with the mystery.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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16 May, 2016:
Finished reading
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16 May, 2016:
Reviewed
