Ha'penny by Jo Walton
Ha'penny returns to Walton's alternate post-WW2 England, in which the empire capitulated with Germany for peace, and a creeping fascism pervades the country. (The author is our own papersky.) The story centers around Scotland Yard Inspector Carmichael, brought in to investigate two deaths by bombing--an actress and a gentleman of uncertain identity. It also follows Viola Lark, another actress, cast in a cross-gender version of Hamlet, who gets contacted by her estranged sister Siddy about a matter that Siddy insists is urgent. Siddy, a lifelong communist with world-changing ambitions, draws Viola into an intrigue the young actress could never have imagined. Meanwhile, Carmichael finds himself investigating a case that gets more elusive and more sinister with each discovery he makes. Thus begin Viola and Carmichael's odysseys each toward a literally explosive conclusion. I don't want to say too much, because there's much to be discovered as the story progresses. I will say that the book provides a glimpse into theater life, and into the terrible alternative history that Walton presents, a post-war England where everyone is watched, where relatives rat each other out, and where Hitler's reach is long and unrelenting. Viola is a complex character with conflicting loyalties that drive her to a difficult decision; the same can be said of Carmichael, who is clearly the hub around which the first and second books revolve (and probably the third and final one as well, though I'm not there yet).
I am somewhat conflicted about the end of the book, specifically about Viola's ultimate fate. I can see how the author built toward it; perhaps it was an appropriately Shakespearean conclusion for her, but not one I wholly believed. I like Carmichael; he is principled and thoughtful, justly conflicted in the position he holds and the one that is ultimately thrust upon him. I am intrigued and concerned about him, about where he's left at the end. He's got some significant issues to deal with; I suspect they'll be unwound in Half a Crown. I was sad at the loss of one of the main characters in the trilogy, a likeable stalwart--he'll be missed. A good book, a quick read, very well written, with distinctive characters and voices (one of Walton's great strengths), some of whom I hope I'll meet again in Half a Crown when I get to it.
I am somewhat conflicted about the end of the book, specifically about Viola's ultimate fate. I can see how the author built toward it; perhaps it was an appropriately Shakespearean conclusion for her, but not one I wholly believed. I like Carmichael; he is principled and thoughtful, justly conflicted in the position he holds and the one that is ultimately thrust upon him. I am intrigued and concerned about him, about where he's left at the end. He's got some significant issues to deal with; I suspect they'll be unwound in Half a Crown. I was sad at the loss of one of the main characters in the trilogy, a likeable stalwart--he'll be missed. A good book, a quick read, very well written, with distinctive characters and voices (one of Walton's great strengths), some of whom I hope I'll meet again in Half a Crown when I get to it.