Book Review—Peru by Gordon Lish

At the tender age of six, Gordon murdered Steven Adinoff in Andy Leiblich’s sandbox. After witnessing scenes on the television of violent acts from a prison in Peru, Gordon begins to remember this event. But as he remembers, as he interrogates whatever details his memory is willing to conjure, his thoughts take on a new form, until the very murder at the centre of Gordon’s reminiscences becomes uncertain.

Unlike other memory narratives where the process involves the clichéd “peeling an onion” technique, where removing layers of details reveals the truth, Peru works the opposite way. “There is nothing I will not tell you if I can think of it”, Gordon promises us, and so he circles around the facts of the matter as well as seemingly inconsequential details that will not yield. The flurry of repetition both immediate (“Steven Adinoff is not even the half of it, Steven Adinoff is not even a smidgen of it. For instance, for instance—speaking of the cellar for instance”) and in recurring passages (the coloured man and the Buick, the matriarchal nanny, Andy’s sister in the cellar, the hoe striking into Steven Adinoff’s head) all add to this swirling around that both confirms as it casts doubt. To add to this blurring of the real and the false Lish, the author, uses his real given name (Gordon) for the protagonist and dedicates the novel not only to his real family but also and the fictional(?) deceased boy. Even the basic assumptions of what is ‘real’ and what is fictional are not guaranteed.

Frightening with its allure of the obsessiveness of memory, Peru is a haunting look at a gruesomely twisted childhood nostalgia.

Andreas

TV Review – Fargo Season One by Noah Hawley

The Coen Brothers much acclaimed 1996 film Fargo has been reinvented into an original television series. Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) is a down and out insurance salesman, pestered by his wife and overshadowed by his younger brother. Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), a hardened criminal for hire with an impish streak, decides to help Lester by killing his childhood tormentor. But soon the pressure gets too much for Lester, and the body count rises.

Although written and directed by Noah Hawley, the tone of the Coen Brothers (who act as producers) is retained. The chilled, bleak white of the Minnesota winter sets the template for the dry, sardonic humour of the exuberant, colourful cast of off kilter, socially questionable characters. Surprising and thrilling, it will have you saying darn tootin’! with every dropping body.

Andreas

Book Review – Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Agnes Magnúsdóttir is scheduled to be executed for murder, the last person to experience such a fate in Iceland. Due to administrative blundering she is housed on Kornsa, the farm of District Officer Jón Jónsson, while awaiting execution, and given spiritual consul by Tóti, a young, inexperienced assistant reverend. Her time with Tóti and the familiar surrounds of Kornsa make her final year one of reflection and sorrow.

Drawing on folklore, the sagas, religion and agrarian life we are simultaneously introduced to the culture as we learn the specifics of the murders. The text blends third person narration with Agnes’ reflections, which, although containing some of the more interesting phrasing in the novel, occasionally overflows. This furthers Agnes’ isolation, as although born and raised in the same District, she is segregated, both in the narrative and in the community.

A murder mystery with tones of historical revision, Burial Rites handles the last days of a murderess with sympathy, both for her and the culture that has condemned her.
Andreas

Book review: The Season of the Beast

The Season of the Beast (The Agnes De Souarcy Chronicles by Andrea Japp)

This is the first in a series of historical mysteries about a young widow in medieval France. It has been translated from French, but is nevertheless a beautiful book to read if you don’t mind confusing narratives. I confess I skimmed over the many subplots and historical references I wasn’t sure of, because the characters and places described in between were very interesting. In particular Agnes De Souarcy is a strong character partly because she is depicted in such glowing terms as a renaissance woman and partly because she remains vulnerable in spite of her ample ability and intelligence. What was fascinating also were the various social skills and hazards of France in 1304, which are so different to those we use today. The historicity of these I found convincing, and made this book a worthwhile read. I read it very quickly, and due to a cliffhanger ending will now need to read the second and perhaps third in the series.

Amy

Leah Giarratano - aussie mystery writer

In her second novel, Giarratano has ticked the boxes for a successful crime thriller. A psychopathic killer escalating in violence; a loner cop coming to terms with brutal events in her past; a return to past haunts for a traumatised army veteran capable of extreme violence in defence of his family; a quirky, intelligent and off beat federal agent who also has a tragic past; and an authentic Australian setting in various Sydney suburbs. I got quite a thrill of recognition when some of the action took place around the Liverpool streets that I know well, in behind the Spotlight store no less, although I don't agree with her characterisation of the public library there! The book builds nicely to a satisfying conclusion and a tentative thawing of the thick wall of ice surrounding our protagonist. Well worth a try if you are looking for a new mystery author.

Wendy