Marianne Perry's Blog - Posts Tagged "under-the-harrow"
Book Comments: Under the Harrow
Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry is a mystery novel about the murder of Rachel Lawrence and the efforts of her younger sister, Nora to solve the crime. Nora takes the train from London to visit Rachel in her country home outside of Oxford. She discovers her sister plus the mutilated body of her dog, Fenno, whom Nora later learns Rachel bought for protection. Woven into Rachel's death is an assault she suffered 15 years ago when 17. Nora is wary of the local police and launches her own investigation. She stays at the local hotel and often crosses the line of acceptability muddling authorities' efforts as well as her own to bring her sister's killer to justice.
The slim book is organized into three sections, unfolds in short chapters and switches from present to past. At times it was difficult to understand the who, what and where of the story plus some of the descriptive passages tended to be tedious. For the most part, however, Flynn Berry's disjointed style reflects Nora's fragmented mind, mood fluctuations and roller coaster state of anxiety.
Berry also explores the love versus hate cycle in the sisters' relationship and their strained parental dynamics. As the plot unfolds and complications revealed, Nora comes to realize she knew little about the sister, the life she'd lived and the future she'd already set in motion. As such, it prompts the reader to reflect on his/her own familial relationships.
Under the Harrow ends quickly and the identity of Rachel's murderer is a twist. A little more reflection in the last chapters would have served a more satisfying conclusion. Nevertheless, this is a good read.
The slim book is organized into three sections, unfolds in short chapters and switches from present to past. At times it was difficult to understand the who, what and where of the story plus some of the descriptive passages tended to be tedious. For the most part, however, Flynn Berry's disjointed style reflects Nora's fragmented mind, mood fluctuations and roller coaster state of anxiety.
Berry also explores the love versus hate cycle in the sisters' relationship and their strained parental dynamics. As the plot unfolds and complications revealed, Nora comes to realize she knew little about the sister, the life she'd lived and the future she'd already set in motion. As such, it prompts the reader to reflect on his/her own familial relationships.
Under the Harrow ends quickly and the identity of Rachel's murderer is a twist. A little more reflection in the last chapters would have served a more satisfying conclusion. Nevertheless, this is a good read.
