The novel creeps up on you in subtle ways. What I noticed was how little actual dialogue there seemed to be in the early chapters. The world is limned in atmosphere: darkness, changing lights and people inwardly brooding on their troubles, their interactions with others, the inevitable encroachment of age, e.g.
Into this quiet Maine world, the author presents us with a murder. The body is laid out almost like an art installation. There is surprise but not necessarily shock. The life has crept from the carefully hung corpse and the expression on the face is almost serene. Then we're presented with a horrific shock, something you never see coming.
The author has hooked you and hooked you good. The bizarre twist lifts this out of the world of ordinary crime into the realm of the surreal. You're stunned, nauseated and almost shamelessly eager to know more. If crime with a tinge of the bizarre is what you look for, this entry into the genre is what you've been secretly craving.
Into this quiet Maine world, the author presents us with a murder. The body is laid out almost like an art installation. There is surprise but not necessarily shock. The life has crept from the carefully hung corpse and the expression on the face is almost serene. Then we're presented with a horrific shock, something you never see coming.
The author has hooked you and hooked you good. The bizarre twist lifts this out of the world of ordinary crime into the realm of the surreal. You're stunned, nauseated and almost shamelessly eager to know more. If crime with a tinge of the bizarre is what you look for, this entry into the genre is what you've been secretly craving.