false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165030170m/3659.jpg 3659 14 John Banville's stunning powers of mimicry are brilliantly on display in this engrossing novel, the darkly compelling confession of an improbable murderer.<br><br>Freddie Montgomery is a highly cultured man, a husband and father living the life of a dissolute exile on a Mediterranean island. When a debt comes due and his wife and child are held as collateral, he returns to Ireland to secure funds. That pursuit leads to murder. And here is his attempt to present evidence, not of his innocence, but of his life, of the events that lead to the murder he committed because he could. Like a hero out of Nabokov or Camus, Montgomery is a chillingly articulate, self-aware, and amoral being, whose humanity is painfully on display. 2388621 book 1989 The Book of Evidence total:382|5:101|4:169|3:76|2:31|1:5| 382 1476 677 53 4 2 false false Sun Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 22 08:18:27 -0800 2008 Sun Apr 05 09:32:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Feb 12 09:00:13 -0800 2008 Thu Apr 03 15:17:18 -0700 2008
Freddie Montgomery, the narrator & subject of this novel, has committed a murder, and lays down his "confession" here in this novel. But what he confesses to goes well beyond the murder -- and paints a...more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Oct 24 08:43:34 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 10 07:34:15 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jul 15 19:10:15 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 19:20:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat May 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 14:30:50 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 13:03:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Dec 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 22 08:48:53 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 08:54:25 -0800 2009
**spoiler alert**
Never have I read a book about such a thoroughly unlikeable character and been so glad that he was in jail (this you know from the first chapter, the first page, even)--Banville ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Jun 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 19:45:45 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 22:01:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat May 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jan 21 18:17:30 -0800 2009 Sat May 09 12:37:41 -0700 2009
Banville is the saint of sumptuous sentences. Although the book is riddled with them, there’s a real knock-out on page 32:

...more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 12 21:37:36 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 22 21:05:44 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 16 08:51:35 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 09:00:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false true Mon Sep 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 14:43:01 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 14:46:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Sep 11 14:29:28 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 14:36:08 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Jul 23 14:43:46 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 14:47:10 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Jul 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 10:49:48 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 15:33:09 -0700 2009
Interesting and engaging at the very least. Will read mor...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 19:44:07 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 19:46:54 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Mar 13 15:29:01 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 15:30:09 -0700 2009
The plot isn't hugely involving but the quality of the writing and the glee of the black-hearted narrator make it a very fast and rewarding read.]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 15 21:16:13 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 15 21:17:23 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jun 22 01:03:37 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 01:04:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 06:03:31 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 06:06:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Nov 27 10:06:27 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 27 10:08:45 -0800 2009 ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3659