MADreads

Why didn’t someone make me read…

February 5th, 2009 Katharine - Sequoya

…British writer Kate Atkinson before?  Her latest novel When Will There Be Good News was excellent, just the right mix of literary and mystery with a dash of sarcasm and snappy dialogue.  If you haven’t read her before you should start with Case Histories which introduces the characters in WWTBGN.  Fortunately even though I had skipped that and One Good Turn (sequel to Case Histories) her writing brought me up to speed on the character’s relationships without leaving me guessing about their pasts.

WWTBGN plot is complicated with three sets of characters around which the book revolves.  First we meet Reggie and her employer Dr. Joanna Hunter.  Sixteen-year-old Reggie has only recently lost her mother and Dr. Hunter lost hers in a tragic accident when she was young.  Next we meet Detective Louise Monroe whose tenacious pursuit of justice has left her calloused but somehow newly married, which causes her occassionally to find solace in glasses of red wine.  Finally we meet Jackson Brodie, former colleague and love interest of Detective Monroe who becomes entangled the others’ stories when he is involved in a train accident near their homes.

There are loads of page turning plotlines to this book, way too much to describe in this too short review, but if you want more details try this New York Times Sunday book review one.  This Powell’s interview also has some interesting insight into Atkinson’s writing which Nancy Pearl describes as “comedies of manners.”  And my fellow MADreads reviewer has this to say (why didn’t I listen!)

To wrap up this undetailed review the dramatic conclusion of WWTBGN left plenty of questions unanswered and I’m guessing Atkinson has many more adventures in mind for Brodie and Monroe.  I’ll be catching up on their back stories while I’m waiting for the next installment.  Make sure to put Atkinson on your must read list this year and without giving away too many details I promise it will be worth it.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction, Mystery