This review was originally posted as a guest post at Baffled Books!
This is my first review of a non-YA book.
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Title: Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1)Author: Kate Atkinson
Classification: Adult Fiction, Literary Mystery
Source: Bought!
Overall Grade:
A+
Would I read it again?
Already have.
Would I recommend it?
Yes, but be prepared.
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Summary (from Goodreads):
Case One: Olivia Land, youngest and most beloved of the Land girls, goes missing in the night and is never seen again. Thirty years later, two of her surviving sisters unearth a shocking clue to Olivia's disappearance among the clutter of their childhood home. . .
Case Two: Theo delights in his daughter Laura's wit, effortless beauty, and selfless love. But her first day as an associate in his law firm is also the day when Theo's world turns upside down. . .
Case Three: Michelle looks around one day and finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making. A very needy baby and a very demanding husband make her every waking moment a reminder that somewhere, somehow, she'd made a grave mistake and would spend the rest of her life paying for it--until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.
As Private Detective Jackson Brodie investigates all three cases, startling connections and discoveries emerge. Inextricably caught up in his clients grief, joy, and desire, Jackson finds their unshakable need for resolution very much like his own.
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My Thoughts:
Case Histories is a book that refuses to let me go. I first read it in a British literature class in college and have since read the sequels that follow Jackson Brodie's story with a voracity that scared me. The reason why I cannot and will not forget this book is not because of the thrilling mystery. It's not because the book is funny or romantic or tragic.
The reason why Case Histories was able to grab hold of me and not let go is because of Jackson Brodie, Theo and Laura Wyre, Olivia, Amelia and Julia Land. These characters failed to remain on the page in their two-dimensional literary bodies. They leapt at me and followed me around as I went to class, made a sandwich, drove to work. They are still with me, sometimes, if I call them up in my memory. They appear suddenly and in startlingly clear detail, as if they'd been there all along.
Atkinson breathed life into her story by crafting characters that felt more real than any I have ever encountered. With each new chapter of the book, Atkinson follows another character's story, but you never feel jilted or lost. Each section expertly weaves snippets of memories with present day reactions to give the reader a lean, mean, yet crystal clear view into the character that drives the already thrilling plot along with alarming speed.
Case Histories is a page-turning, character-driven mystery that defies classification. If the world were just, every aspiring author would read it, taking notes from Atkinson's amazing propensity to be lyrical in a mystery that will keep you turning pages until well into the night.
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Case Two: Theo delights in his daughter Laura's wit, effortless beauty, and selfless love. But her first day as an associate in his law firm is also the day when Theo's world turns upside down. . .
Case Three: Michelle looks around one day and finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making. A very needy baby and a very demanding husband make her every waking moment a reminder that somewhere, somehow, she'd made a grave mistake and would spend the rest of her life paying for it--until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.
As Private Detective Jackson Brodie investigates all three cases, startling connections and discoveries emerge. Inextricably caught up in his clients grief, joy, and desire, Jackson finds their unshakable need for resolution very much like his own.
______________________________________________________
My Thoughts:
Case Histories is a book that refuses to let me go. I first read it in a British literature class in college and have since read the sequels that follow Jackson Brodie's story with a voracity that scared me. The reason why I cannot and will not forget this book is not because of the thrilling mystery. It's not because the book is funny or romantic or tragic.
The reason why Case Histories was able to grab hold of me and not let go is because of Jackson Brodie, Theo and Laura Wyre, Olivia, Amelia and Julia Land. These characters failed to remain on the page in their two-dimensional literary bodies. They leapt at me and followed me around as I went to class, made a sandwich, drove to work. They are still with me, sometimes, if I call them up in my memory. They appear suddenly and in startlingly clear detail, as if they'd been there all along.
Atkinson breathed life into her story by crafting characters that felt more real than any I have ever encountered. With each new chapter of the book, Atkinson follows another character's story, but you never feel jilted or lost. Each section expertly weaves snippets of memories with present day reactions to give the reader a lean, mean, yet crystal clear view into the character that drives the already thrilling plot along with alarming speed.
Case Histories is a page-turning, character-driven mystery that defies classification. If the world were just, every aspiring author would read it, taking notes from Atkinson's amazing propensity to be lyrical in a mystery that will keep you turning pages until well into the night.
______________________________________________________
Overall Grade:
A+
Would I read it again?
Already have.
Would I recommend it?
Yes, but be prepared.
Well done!! I enjoyed this very much too and must get busy reading more of the Jackson Brodie books ... as well as Atkinson's other works.And what an awesome literature class. I always remember reading books that I never really liked!
ReplyDeleteYes, the other ones are excellent! However, I think my favorite is the third... "When Will There Be Good News" :)
ReplyDeleteThe British Lit class was AWESOME. We read Kate Atkinson, Ishiguro, Zadie Smith and more! It really turned me on to a lot of contemporary authors. I was lucky to take it!
- Alyssa