Review for Absent Victim
A very different book I have to say, but entertaining and totally unique. Wealthy divorcee Stephanie Kuler hires a private detective (the narrator whose name is never mentioned) to investigate a murder which she claims to have committed. However, there is no victim to name, no body, and no date when it took place, or where.
Sometimes it is a brilliant murder mystery, while at other times it is a way for the author to put forward his own, sometimes controversial, views:
‘The news was full of stories of protest, the rhetoric of BLM given over to a struggle with anyone whose views might differ. It was peaceful protestors versus right-wing thugs, The press and television media had created the story they wanted and now it was just a case of ensuring the protagonists acted it out for them.’
He says how Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela never resorted to these tactics. Then he mentions Brexit, but I never really got whether he was pro or anti. I got the impression maybe pro, but he didn’t seem like a Brexiteer.
There are also lots of references to the Troubles in Northern Ireland where the book is set. Once again the narrator can be very politically incorrect, particularly in his view of the types of people who do, or believe, certain things.
But the main thread running through the whole book is that of the pandemic. It is set during the first year of lockdown, pre-vaccinations and even pre-masks. And Boris and co on TV every night giving us instructions on what we must do to stay safe. Little did we know who would be the worst rule-breakers later on. Everyone is social-distancing, in theory, though there are plenty who don’t.
Then there is Billy, also ex-army like our narrator and his ‘Billy-isms’, his strange way of speaking. Zombies (a bit of a Billy obsession) are ‘a fig roll‘ of his imagination, he says Gongle instead of Google and that he was waiting for some fish to come home to roost. There are also the names he uses for everyday objects such as the interweb machine (computer), corporate transport module (bus), linked corporate transport module (train) or individual transport module, ITM for short (car). Sometimes I have to admit, I didn’t get the relevance.
I loved the narrator’s comedy take on things. It was just like the banter I have with my younger son, my one daughter-in-law and a colleague at work. Others often don’t get it. In the book only Stephanie’s friend Georgina is totally on his wavelength and I really enjoyed their interactions.
A highly recommended, interesting read.
Sometimes it is a brilliant murder mystery, while at other times it is a way for the author to put forward his own, sometimes controversial, views:
‘The news was full of stories of protest, the rhetoric of BLM given over to a struggle with anyone whose views might differ. It was peaceful protestors versus right-wing thugs, The press and television media had created the story they wanted and now it was just a case of ensuring the protagonists acted it out for them.’
He says how Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela never resorted to these tactics. Then he mentions Brexit, but I never really got whether he was pro or anti. I got the impression maybe pro, but he didn’t seem like a Brexiteer.
There are also lots of references to the Troubles in Northern Ireland where the book is set. Once again the narrator can be very politically incorrect, particularly in his view of the types of people who do, or believe, certain things.
But the main thread running through the whole book is that of the pandemic. It is set during the first year of lockdown, pre-vaccinations and even pre-masks. And Boris and co on TV every night giving us instructions on what we must do to stay safe. Little did we know who would be the worst rule-breakers later on. Everyone is social-distancing, in theory, though there are plenty who don’t.
Then there is Billy, also ex-army like our narrator and his ‘Billy-isms’, his strange way of speaking. Zombies (a bit of a Billy obsession) are ‘a fig roll‘ of his imagination, he says Gongle instead of Google and that he was waiting for some fish to come home to roost. There are also the names he uses for everyday objects such as the interweb machine (computer), corporate transport module (bus), linked corporate transport module (train) or individual transport module, ITM for short (car). Sometimes I have to admit, I didn’t get the relevance.
I loved the narrator’s comedy take on things. It was just like the banter I have with my younger son, my one daughter-in-law and a colleague at work. Others often don’t get it. In the book only Stephanie’s friend Georgina is totally on his wavelength and I really enjoyed their interactions.
A highly recommended, interesting read.
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