Stephen's review
The Final Solution: A Story of Detection (P.S.)
by Michael Chabon
Not particularly being a fan of genre fiction myself (with a few notable exceptions), I had a much different reaction to The Final Solution. As you note, the writing is beautiful, and while the story is plot-driven (there is a murder that must be solved), I liked that true origin of the numbers recited by the parrot are too horrific to even be considered by a mind as brutally logical as Sherlock Holmes. Chabon uses the formula of the mystery novel, with its implicit belief that human evil is knowable, to emphasize the sheer illogical brutality that man can visit upon man (in this case, the Holocaust).
Kevin, you make a good point about Chabon's reformulation of the mystery, and how he explodes it in a way. Whenever I read Chabon, I typically enjoy the intelligence that lurks behind each sentence.
However, the problem for me mostly comes down to expectation. Having read other genre-y works by Chabon (e.g., Summerland), I was interested to read a mystery/detective story told with Chabon's linguistic panache. I don't feel like that's what I got...
I get what you're saying - the point of TFS, unlike most mysteries, is that you as the reader have a deeper understanding of what is happening than Holmes does. He solves the mystery, but only the reader understands that the numbers recited by the parrot are part of a deeper, and more horrible, truth concerning trains to the concentration camps. So absolutely, if you like reading mysteries to, well, solve the mystery (which is of course the point), the TFS would be a disappointment.
I'm not much of a mystery fan, but the few that I do read (Sayer's Peter Wimsey novels and, yes, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels), I enjoy for the characters and atmosphere, and not the mysteries themselves. That being the case, The Final Solution did not disappoint because I had no real expectations of it as a mystery novel.
Stephen's review
The Final Solution: A Story of Detection (P.S.) by Michael Chabon
Stephen's review
rating:
bookshelves:
fiction
recommended for: lovers of words, writers
The back of this book contains a "PS" section with info about the author and a short interview. In this interview, Chabon defends genre fiction (there is also a list of his favorite genre fiction writers...Raymond Chandler tops that list). I am inclined to agree with Chabon that there is nothing particularly extra good about "literary" fiction that warrants it being placed over and above "genre" fiction.
Because of all of this, I had expected this book to read like a "genre" work--specifically, like a Sherlock Holmes story. It doesn't.
Michael Chabon is a gifted writer, but The Final Solution: A Story of Detection isn't anything too special.
What I appreciate the most about this book is the language. Chabon has a great gift for using words. I was particularly attuned to his use of the passive and other taboo or uncommon constructions. He uses them to great effect. Makes me want to write a vehement defense of the passive! Though, g...more
Because of all of this, I had expected this book to read like a "genre" work--specifically, like a Sherlock Holmes story. It doesn't.
Michael Chabon is a gifted writer, but The Final Solution: A Story of Detection isn't anything too special.
What I appreciate the most about this book is the language. Chabon has a great gift for using words. I was particularly attuned to his use of the passive and other taboo or uncommon constructions. He uses them to great effect. Makes me want to write a vehement defense of the passive! Though, g...more
Not particularly being a fan of genre fiction myself (with a few notable exceptions), I had a much different reaction to The Final Solution. As you note, the writing is beautiful, and while the story is plot-driven (there is a murder that must be solved), I liked that true origin of the numbers recited by the parrot are too horrific to even be considered by a mind as brutally logical as Sherlock Holmes. Chabon uses the formula of the mystery novel, with its implicit belief that human evil is knowable, to emphasize the sheer illogical brutality that man can visit upon man (in this case, the Holocaust).
Kevin, you make a good point about Chabon's reformulation of the mystery, and how he explodes it in a way. Whenever I read Chabon, I typically enjoy the intelligence that lurks behind each sentence. However, the problem for me mostly comes down to expectation. Having read other genre-y works by Chabon (e.g., Summerland), I was interested to read a mystery/detective story told with Chabon's linguistic panache. I don't feel like that's what I got...
I get what you're saying - the point of TFS, unlike most mysteries, is that you as the reader have a deeper understanding of what is happening than Holmes does. He solves the mystery, but only the reader understands that the numbers recited by the parrot are part of a deeper, and more horrible, truth concerning trains to the concentration camps. So absolutely, if you like reading mysteries to, well, solve the mystery (which is of course the point), the TFS would be a disappointment.I'm not much of a mystery fan, but the few that I do read (Sayer's Peter Wimsey novels and, yes, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels), I enjoy for the characters and atmosphere, and not the mysteries themselves. That being the case, The Final Solution did not disappoint because I had no real expectations of it as a mystery novel.