It’s a long hot summer in Cambridge in the early Noughties. And the 1970s. And the mid 1990s. As the sun beats down and the earth crinkles and splits, so the industrious ants pick up their bundles of eggs and larvae and scuttle for cover in the deep dark cracks, never to be seen again. But beneath our feet, beneath our skins, these buried secrets grow and swell and multiply: what happened to those three lost girls? Where did they go?Jackson Brodie, ex police inspector turned private eye, has no idea. Neither does he have the stomach to face the living, pulsing grief carried for decades in the hearts of those left behind; for one thing, he’s already got more than his fair share of misfortune and tragedy to live with. But it is to Jackson that the survivors turn. He is their last hope for healing those long-festering wounds, their last shot at peace of mind, their one-time-only chance for resolution. Jackson carries in his mind an accounting sheet - the lost on the left, the found on the right – and the two never seem to balance however much he wants them to. So it is with some reluctance that Jackson, the last good man standing, picks up the threads of these long ago events and tries to knit together a bandage of truth.
Case Histories is a detective story, but it’s far more than a whodunit. Kate Atkinson skilfully weaves together a patchwork of seemingly disparate strands: of dysfunctional families, of sudden inexplicable loss, of parental and marital love pushed to the lip of the precipice and beyond, of adult lives still shaped and haunted by long-ago shadowy events. In that regard, as the cast of characters and their quirks unfolds, Case Histories is far more a whydunnit than anything else. Generously shot through with the shimmering golden thread of humour that has you laughing out loud in places, the book grabs the reader by the collar from the very first scene and never lets up.
Kate Atkinson won the Whitbread Prize with her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, in 1995. In this, her fifth book and the first starring the lovably flawed Jackson Brodie, Kate accomplishes a completely fresh take on the detective story; in some ways, the crime elements are almost incidental. Never gruesome but always gripping, Case Histories throws the reader around on a roller coaster ride that blurs time and genre and casts an eagle-eyed observation on the quirks and foibles that define the human condition.
Fresh, funny, compelling, complex and thrilling by turn, Case Histories is a fabulous treat of a read. If you enjoy crime fiction, you’ll love it. If you don’t usually read crime fiction, you’ll love it too. I started this book on Saturday afternoon and didn’t put it down until I’d finished. Luckily, two further books featuring Jackson Brodie are also now available: One Good Turn and When Will There Be Good News?
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson was published in 2004.
I have one and one-half (roughly) wolf books to go before I start reading another, Katy, but I certainly will keep your recommendation in mind.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, you are reading much too quickly for me to keep up with you. I do not know how you do it, or is it that I am getting slower and s-l-o-w-e-r and ....
To jump in before my mum, Fram, we both read terrifyingly fast. I know I can read around 445 wpm (off a computer screen, which apparently makes you slower), and she's much faster than me. xD
ReplyDeleteBy the way mum, was this the book you told me about on the phone? It sounds fab!
A pleasure to meet you, Roo.
ReplyDeleteReading patterns vary with age, at least they did for me. There were years when I was younger when I averaged three books a week. I think my peak came when I read James Clavell's "Shogun" between a Friday afternoon and a Sunday evening. The version I had was divided into two books, totaling about 1,200 pages.
Almost immediately after that, for a couple of reasons, I rebelled against reading and did not pick up a book for about three years. My reading habit never returned to the earlier, heavier, faster pattern.
It might be interesting for you to see what trends develop in your own reading patterns over the years. This might be an interesting topic for a post.
As for your ma-ma, I have no doubt her writing and reading talents go unrivaled on the sea of blogs.
Fram and Roo, this has really made me chuckle :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, Roo, this is the book I mentioned to you on the phone. Here waiting for you to enjoy on your return home for the hols! :-)
And yes, Fram, what an interesting thought - I'd never considered before how one's reading patterns change. I shall ponder on that one...
I think I'd describe both Roo and I as avid readers and books are of great importance to us, but there are some differences in our patterns of reading - age-related or not, I don't know. Roo, for instance, frequently re-reads books she's enjoyed, whilst I do this very rarely (the Wolf book will be one of those rare exceptions I think). I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction, Roo the opposite, although this is different from when I was younger.
My ex was very much *not a reader* and was somewhat inclined to interrupt me a lot when I was reading, so I suppose durng those years (what with that and all the time spent building the barn) I read much, much less than I'd have liked. Foolishly, I recognise more in retrospect than at the time :-) We live and learn do we not...
These days, my reading is probably going back up to where it used to be in terms of quantity, and it's certainly much broader now in terms of scope than it was. I still tend to lean towards contemporary rather than historical, but have several times now picked up books from the library that are quite deliberately "not my usual thing" and have enjoyed some of them very much indeed.
A footnote from Fram: When I was younger, it was not uncommon for me to read a book more than once, some several times.
ReplyDeleteI have one I re-read every November for several years, at the outset of winter. Another I re-read every May, when an expedition into legend began. My tendency to re-read as ebbed considerably over the years.
A further footnote from Roo:
ReplyDeleteOnly three books a week, Fram? Pah. Sometimes I lose count of how many I've read. xD; /ego. I think the longest book (books, really; The trilogy was squashed into one cover) I've read to date still has to be LotR, which I admit I struggled with and took two months to read.
Admittedly, I was about twelve, but still. Happily, I know I can get through books like HP&tDH in about six hours, so all is not lost. As for re-reading everything I own, I can't imagine anything worse than forgetting some of the wonderful stories that one can find, and so it is my attempt to hold onto everything I've ever read.
A response to Roo's footnote:
ReplyDeleteI think you are your mother's daughter. Possibly, you are your grandmother's granddaughter, too, but since she does not have a blog (that I am aware of), I am not certain.
My purpose here is to compare notes, not to challenge; only to learn from each other. I quit running hypothetical races long ago. Allow it to go away at that. My best year was 185 books. It will never be greater, mostly because I choose it to be that way and wish to use my time for other things.
It should be obvious to you that I admire your mother's writing talent beyond any I have seen on the blogs. She has a great gift. If you wish to surpass her in either reading or writing, that is your game, not mine. I am content at being good at what I am, not being the best at everything, and I think you are neat for believing in yourself and in your mother.
Listening to distant rock music has become my game for now. Listen to Boston. I am selling them this month, for the last 30 years, actually. Life changes by the day; decent rock does not.
Think I will go over to Brit time; fits better with my sleep patterns.
ReplyDeleteTo Fram:
ReplyDeleteI would hope I am my mother's daughter. xP No, no, really, I get what you mean.
I didn't mean to sound competitive; I know I am abrupt but it's not personal. xP And yes, it is obvious that you admire my mum's blog, and I do, too. x3 I'm never in a million years going to be a better writer!
I will go and have a look for Boston's music. They have a delightfully clunky website. x3
PS - I think I need Pacific time, or a time zone which allows me to get up at 8pm here and not feel bad.
Bless your hearts, both of you. I've really enjoyed reading your lively exchanges and thought about what both of you have said a lot. Some of those thoughts are reflected in today's post - more for another time too, perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a time zone swap, too, by the way :-)
That was fun, Katy :D
ReplyDeleteWe should call this one the Roo and Fram Entertainment Hour :)
Roo...you go girl! LOL I'm impressed with you!
Katy, I see why you are so proud of your lovely daughter...she's great :D....Just like her Mum!
Now, as for the book, it sounds great. I love mystery books and I need to read more of them. I will add this one to the pile as big as the house...the TBR pile...LOL
Thanks for a great review...most entertaining review I've read in a long time!
Have a Happy Day!