Anyone who loves a good thriller would give this more than three stars. It certainly sets the pulse racing as the pages fly by in a rush. It was a very cleverly constructed plot, but like any book of this genre, the unexpected twists through the latter part left me feeling a little cheated. There is little literary merit, but the narrative makes up for that. And as a diversion from recent family dramas, this could not have been better.
Not my favourite Anne Tyler novel despite it's huge critical acclaim. We hardly ever move away from the Whitshank family and, for me, they are not a very interesting bunch. The writing, as always, is pure joy, I just love the conversational tone the author uses. The last quarter of the book is actually the best part, so anyone struggling half way through should know this. And finally we get to find out about the title. All too late.
Despite being a terrific storyteller and one of my favourite authors, this particular novel seemed to be a hotchpot of ideas. If Boyd had only stuck to the enjoyable main theme involving Salvador Carriscant as a brilliant surgeon in 1920 Manila and mysterious deaths. But other happenings are thrown into the pot that I found distracting. The author's later work seems far more cohesive and more thrilling as a result.
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