Book Notes
The Dry by Jane Harper
The Dry is a crime fiction written by Jane Harper. Set in the rural town of Kiewarra, Australia near the city of Melbourne, the area has endured a two year drought. Circa three-hundred pages , the book is organized into forty-two chapters and has an excellent Reading Group Guide. The story unfolds through third person narration primarily from the main character, Aaron Falk’s POV.
The plot revolves around Luke Hadler’s alleged suicide after having shot his wife, Karen and their seven year old son, Billy. Oddly, their infant daughter, Charlotte is unharmed. Aaron Falk, a federal agent from Melbourne, receives a mysterious note prompting him to return to his hometown. Past friends, Aaron and Luke, implicated in the unsolved drowning of their teenage friend, Ellie Deacon twenty years ago. The townsfolk and Ellie’s father, Mel Deacon whom most suspect suffering early dementia, plus her bullish cousin, Grant Dow have vindictiveness for Falk and his deceased father, Erik. Convinced them responsible for Ellie's death and Luke Hadler guilty of the murders, they try to force Falk to leave Kiewarra. It is revealed this animosity had driven Luke and Erik out of Kiewarra after Ellie's death.
Barb and Gerry Hadler, Luke’s parents believe their son innocent. Quasi-surrogate parents to Falk, they entreat him to prove this true. Gerry Hadler admits to having sent Falk the note. Falk with the assistance of the local cop, Sergeant Greg Raco, agrees to investigate.
Stirred into this main conflict is an unresolved romantic relationship between Falk and a former school friend, Gretchen Schoner; the possibility Luke fathered Gretchen’s young son, Lackie; the discovery of missing funds by the school’s bookkeeper, Karen Hadler; the enigmatic school principal, Scot Whitlam who showed up in Kiewarra last year and has a gambling problem; lingering rumours Mel Deacon abused his daughter, Ellie Deacon; the domino effect of a clandestine gay relationship between a young farmer, Jamie Sullivan and the local GP, Dr. Patrick Leigh; and Asian interests in purchasing the Hadler-Deacon property.
Yes, there is much happening! Cleverly imagined, Jane Harper concludes each chapter with a page-turner that keeps the reader riveted. This Chapter 5 excerpt serves an example:
“Raco,” he (Falk) said. “There's something about Luke you need to know.”
In addition to a string of suspenseful incidents, Jane Harper paints vivid images of the drought ravaged area. This Chapter 13 excerpt serves an example:
“The huge river was nothing more than a dusty scar in the land. The empty bed stretched long and barren in either direction, its serpentine curves tracing the path where the water had flowed. The hollow that had been carved over centuries was now a cracked patchwork of rocks and crabgrass….”
The author layers her characters by articulating universal themes compelling reader reflection. This Chapter 25 excerpt of a conversation between Aaron Falk and Rita Raco re Falk’s difficult relationship with his deceased father serves an example:
“…But surely that doesn’t make it any less true. Death rarely changes how we feel about someone. Heightens it, more often than not.”
With regards a criticism, I found the interjection of flashbacks from the POV of other characters such as Ellie Deacon and her father, Mel, awkward. The insights afforded were valuable and integral to the story’s integrity; nevertheless, the passages appeared “dumped” and often with poor transition. Hence, the rhythm and flow broken and the style rendered a tad choppy.
In the end and specific to the final fifty pages, however, Jane Harper weaves everything together delivering a plausible conclusion. This is a good read.
The Dry is a crime fiction written by Jane Harper. Set in the rural town of Kiewarra, Australia near the city of Melbourne, the area has endured a two year drought. Circa three-hundred pages , the book is organized into forty-two chapters and has an excellent Reading Group Guide. The story unfolds through third person narration primarily from the main character, Aaron Falk’s POV.
The plot revolves around Luke Hadler’s alleged suicide after having shot his wife, Karen and their seven year old son, Billy. Oddly, their infant daughter, Charlotte is unharmed. Aaron Falk, a federal agent from Melbourne, receives a mysterious note prompting him to return to his hometown. Past friends, Aaron and Luke, implicated in the unsolved drowning of their teenage friend, Ellie Deacon twenty years ago. The townsfolk and Ellie’s father, Mel Deacon whom most suspect suffering early dementia, plus her bullish cousin, Grant Dow have vindictiveness for Falk and his deceased father, Erik. Convinced them responsible for Ellie's death and Luke Hadler guilty of the murders, they try to force Falk to leave Kiewarra. It is revealed this animosity had driven Luke and Erik out of Kiewarra after Ellie's death.
Barb and Gerry Hadler, Luke’s parents believe their son innocent. Quasi-surrogate parents to Falk, they entreat him to prove this true. Gerry Hadler admits to having sent Falk the note. Falk with the assistance of the local cop, Sergeant Greg Raco, agrees to investigate.
Stirred into this main conflict is an unresolved romantic relationship between Falk and a former school friend, Gretchen Schoner; the possibility Luke fathered Gretchen’s young son, Lackie; the discovery of missing funds by the school’s bookkeeper, Karen Hadler; the enigmatic school principal, Scot Whitlam who showed up in Kiewarra last year and has a gambling problem; lingering rumours Mel Deacon abused his daughter, Ellie Deacon; the domino effect of a clandestine gay relationship between a young farmer, Jamie Sullivan and the local GP, Dr. Patrick Leigh; and Asian interests in purchasing the Hadler-Deacon property.
Yes, there is much happening! Cleverly imagined, Jane Harper concludes each chapter with a page-turner that keeps the reader riveted. This Chapter 5 excerpt serves an example:
“Raco,” he (Falk) said. “There's something about Luke you need to know.”
In addition to a string of suspenseful incidents, Jane Harper paints vivid images of the drought ravaged area. This Chapter 13 excerpt serves an example:
“The huge river was nothing more than a dusty scar in the land. The empty bed stretched long and barren in either direction, its serpentine curves tracing the path where the water had flowed. The hollow that had been carved over centuries was now a cracked patchwork of rocks and crabgrass….”
The author layers her characters by articulating universal themes compelling reader reflection. This Chapter 25 excerpt of a conversation between Aaron Falk and Rita Raco re Falk’s difficult relationship with his deceased father serves an example:
“…But surely that doesn’t make it any less true. Death rarely changes how we feel about someone. Heightens it, more often than not.”
With regards a criticism, I found the interjection of flashbacks from the POV of other characters such as Ellie Deacon and her father, Mel, awkward. The insights afforded were valuable and integral to the story’s integrity; nevertheless, the passages appeared “dumped” and often with poor transition. Hence, the rhythm and flow broken and the style rendered a tad choppy.
In the end and specific to the final fifty pages, however, Jane Harper weaves everything together delivering a plausible conclusion. This is a good read.
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