April/May 2017 Group read: The Mermaids Singing, by Val McDermid

[A.K.]

This is my first book by the author, and also the first time I participated in the group.

I am glad I got started with the group.

However the book just did not work well for me. I found the graphic torture made me queasy, the characters weren't developed well enough, and the writing was clunky in many places.

Also, there were a couple of bloopers.

There were a few very interesting moments -- as another reader has commented, the bit about a straight cop in a gay bar for example.

I guess it's all right that some books that are very popular don't work for a few readers.

[M.]

Welcome A.K.! This was a difficult novel for me, but I'm thrilled you joined us. As an active member, I think a great plus is that I am exposed to mystery genres and mystery history that is new. The level of violence, and the delicate subject matter in Val's first book definitely streched my comfort zone.

Yet I admired her technigue to such a huge extent. I mean that at the end, despite the villian's brutal acts, I found great empathy for that individual! As a mystery author myself, there was a lot to learn about how Val managed that!

Also, the author became famous for this novel prior to the 1986 Hannibal Lectur series with Silence of the Lambs being the 2nd of that series. Those culture classic and pyschological thrillers has root in Mermaid's Singing.

Plus, I enjoy knowing that this author was the FIRST Scottish public school author accepted into the Oxfird Writing Program. Hiw delightful to see that scholarly pursuit enrich our mystery genre!

Again, welcome! I promise that not all of our choices are this difficult to read. 🥂

[M.]

and how I hate lacking spell and grammar check! Add on the inability to edit after posting, but sometimes I need to post prior to other busy day activities from my cell phone! ARGHH, but I did so want to welcome you the I couldn't wait to reply!

[Ann]

M said, '...FIRST Scottish public school author accepted into ...'

Hi M, I'm an author and I'm a Brit.
Sorry to disagree, but I don't at all see how the above is something to crow about!
Oxford, and Cambridge for that matter, are for the elite, or those who think they are.
ValMcDermid (according to her website) read English at St Hilda's, Oxford and is now an honorary fellow there.
And so?
Either an author writes a good story or they don't. It doesn't have a thing to do with going to a particular University IMHO.

[M.]

Here is interview with the Independent. Its in questionaire format.A book that changed me… Sexual Politics by Kate Millett. I was reading English at Oxford, and it was transformational – it was a completely different approach to literary criticism, and it really opened my eyes to feminism.

and later:  life in brief -

Val McDermid was born in 1955 and grew up in Kirkcaldy, Fife. She went to Oxford University, 

the refrrence about puplic school, I 0couldn't quickly find.

But St Hilga's is on Oxford? Sorry if I mis-stated.

[MissLemon]

A.K. wrote: "This is my first book by the author, and also the first time I participated in the group.

I am glad I got started with the group.

However the book just did not work well for me. I found the graph..."

What were the bloopers?

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Speaking for myself, I've noticed how and where and how much writers are educated has tremendous impact on what they include in their stories and on the architecture of the book. For example, MFA graduates of certain American elite writer-programs for the last two decades are all overusing flashbacks, with lots of symbolic literary references to ancient Greek, Roman, Hindu and Jewish gods and myths underlying the story, with a heavy spread of unreliable narrators trading off narrating the story every other chapter, and the backstory includes generations of family dysfunction which impact the denouement or outcome of the main story on the main characters.

England's writers who are university graduates generally do all of the above too, only more subtly and not so upfront, but they do loudly throw into almost all plots upfront and often driving the action of all characters forward the explicit and implicit issues of class and education which the English characters never seem to struggle against too much, but instead work with it. (Americans tend to heroically call out and defeat people who are trying to impose class superiorities on our hero characters, if class differences are written into the story.)

But I think university trained writers become even more obvious when not writing genre literature. Such an education does affect writers, in my opinion.

Lately, many university-trained writers of all stripes seem to be employing cynical and satiric Modernism and Post-modernism techniques in creating a story, which rely on showing off the author's skill in deconstructing and manipulating the academic and architecture elements of the 'Art' of writing stories. This is resulting in Pulitzer Prize winning novels with completely unlikeable main characters who behave in the story as if they know an author is writing them into being in a book, while at the same time the reader can sometimes feel the author is staring at you, the reader, and scoffing at you, his characters, the publishing business and the Art of writing a story. Or simply just showing off for the Literati critics of major magazines and newspapers who will dutifully write glowing reviews, tricking us consumers into buying books we find arid and unreadable since these are books written for people interested in the academic Art of writing a story and holding up to readers for their attention openly and minutely the different elements that make up the foundation of a plot and characters and Timeline and action and themes. Of course, religious and philosophical themes are tossed in to reflect actual author ruminations and to demonstrate the author took other university courses.

Not that there is anything wrong with any of this. I read and have enjoyed many books by MFA graduates and academically-trained authors - but not necessarily because the story was entertaining or the characters were moving. Most often the fun is the talent and playfulness of the author's open manipulations of the academic elements of writing. Most often the story feels openly a contrived performance piece, which, of course, is on purpose and satirically and cynically true.

Um, all done.

[A.K.]

M. wrote: "and how I hate lacking spell and grammar check! Add on the inability to edit after posting, but sometimes I need to post prior to other busy day activities from my cell phone! ARGHH, but I did so w..."

Thank you for the welcome! And don't worry about the typos:) I look forward to widening my reading here.

[A.K.]

Carolyn wrote: "A.K. wrote: "This is my first book by the author, and also the first time I participated in the group...."

What were the bloopers?

The official agencies not having any statistical analysis expertise, and Carol turning to her brother. This didn't seem realistic at all. And then this thread seemed to just get dropped.

Also in the end when Tony was kidnapped, given the day of the week, victim profile, missing appointments, it took just way too long for Carol to figure out what happened.

[Lisa]

A.K., agreed on Carol's brother's involvement and the length of time it took her to realize that Tony was in trouble.

[Ann]

A.K. said, ...Carol turning to her brother...

unrealistic - agreed :)

[Autumn]

I loved this book and the intro to Tony and Carol. This is my kind of book... is that sad? She and Karin Slaughter are similar to me, and since Karin is a favorite, I love Val too.

[Gisela]

Autumn wrote: "I loved this book and the intro to Tony and Carol. This is my kind of book... is that sad? She and Karin Slaughter are similar to me, and since Karin is a favorite, I love Val too."
I agree and I know it is snobby of me, but I admit to loving the Tony and Carol books, whilst Karin Slaughter's books are my "guilty pleasure" for days when I just want to switch off.

[Kelly]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Also, I agree with Carolyn, A Place of Execution is excellent.