Sandra Ireland
Auteur van Bone Deep
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Statistieken
- Werken
- 4
- Leden
- 61
- Populariteit
- #274,234
- Waardering
- 3.1
- Besprekingen
- 6
- ISBNs
- 16
It is a perfect setup - although it is unclear what for. And that is part of the problem of this novel - it weaves too many stories at the same time and most of the characters come up almost two-dimensional in the process. Add to all of the above two separate crime stories (one in the past and one in the present), an old man's hallucinations and a skeleton (well, part of one) and the novel gets a bit too busy.
Alie Gowdie was sentenced to death as a witch in 1648. Sarah lives in her old house and tells her story during her witch's walk. So when the diary of the man who led the prosecution against her suddenly appears, Sarah jumps at the opportunity to learn more about her story (and not just because it will help her make her walks more appealing and thus win more money). In the meantime, the new cleaner in the store, Mai, appears to have her own issues. The stories that emerge both about Mai and about Alie are both modern and ancient - past and present parallel each other (minus the witches) to the point where one starts wondering if humanity ever changes.
And then there is the personal story. Sarah fires Grant from the store for being irresponsible (well, he technically leaves but...) just to find out that not only she is in love with him but that he is now her father's new caregiver. It is almost too sugary (and the whole romance development was a bit too... cute). So here she is, struggling with her budding feelings for a man who is way too young for her while worrying about her child and her father.
And yet, somehow, the end actually ties the whole mess together. The double narration - by Sarah and by her father John helps by providing details the other may not know and by allowing some ambiguity to trickle in without adding an unreliable narrator. One of the other things which I particularly liked in the novel was the way in which the author led us through the discovery of John's Charles Bonnet Syndrome - an ailment I had never heard of - and the realization of how often it is misdiagnosed and why.
The storyline that really seemed off though was the one around Hannah (the daughter). I suspect that it was left the way it was to allow a sequel to the novel (it is advertised as first in a series) but it does match and Sarah's reactions are just off considering all her other reactions in the novel.
The author's note at the end of the novel mentions that neither Alie, nor the town of Kilgour really exist but they are the sum of every woman (or man) who was called a witch in the 16th and 17th centuries in Scotland and the combination of all the small towns on the east coast of Scotland. When one thinks of witches, it is Salem that usually comes to mind but a lot of people died in the old country as well. And despite the issues I have with the novel as a whole, that aspect works - both the story and the uncovering of the "new" story.
Hopefully if there is a second novel, it will be a bit more even and without slipping into the almost comical in places where it just does not work - adding a lot of cliches at the same time did not help much. I did like the historical part of the novel though and the style of writing is not awful (despite everything) so I may look up some of her older novels.… (meer)