[books 2009] backlog

[inulro]

40. The Town that Forgot How to Breathe by Kenneth J Harvey

This was recommended by zoo_music_girl and I can't resist anything set in Newfoundland. Parts of it were quite engaging in an absurdist sort of way, but I found it was far too long for what it was (not a complaint I often make!). I had a real ethical problem with the ending. (The town in question

Comments

[zoo_music_girl]

I did say I thought he hadn't known how to end it!

[hirez]

Chandler. Yes.

I've not read any detective fiction since because it won't be as good.

[inulro]

I manage to read the modern forensic stuff, and ones with supernatural elements. While not as good, they're so different that I can make it work.

Surprisingly, I can get behind James Ellroy - not as good, but his re-creation of 40s LA is a worthy work of art in itself.

I did find myself completely unable to get into Dashiell Hammett, because it is essentially the same thing as Chandler, and probably OK, but simply not up to the same standard.