In early March, I read The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black (pseudonym of John Banville). Set in Ireland in the 1950s, it is the 2nd book about Quirke, a pathologist working in a hospital in Dublin. I read the book for this year’s Reading Ireland Month, hosted by Cathy at 746 Books.
Billy Hunt was in college with Quirke. They had not seen each for years; Quirke did not recognize him at first. Billy's wife has just died in a strange situation, and Billy does not want the death to be declared a suicide; he asks Quirke to see to it that she is not cut up (which seemed strange to me). Of course, Quirke is curious.
Billy's wife was Deirdre Hunt, but she also went by the name Laura Swan and ran a beauty salon, The Silver Swan. In looking into Deirdre's death, slowly, at his own pace, Quirke discovers that there are many unanswered questions, but he does not share the things he finds with Inspector Hackett, who is also interested in the case.
The story is much more complex than the overview above. Much of the story consists of flashbacks to events before Deirdre's death. There are many other characters, including Quirke's daughter, Phoebe. At times I was very confused about the overall plot. This did not lessen my enjoyment of the story, because the writing is gorgeous, and I was very focused on Quirke's character.
Things to note:
- Quirke is only identified by his last name. I think this continues throughout the series but not sure.
- The pace of the story is slow and it seems more like a character study or a lot of character studies thrown together than a mystery. There was not a lot of sleuthing going on (or it is not shared with the reader).
- I remember finding the first book to be dark and depressing, and that was also true for this one. But this time I was prepared. I am looking forward to reading the next book some time.
- If you are thinking of reading this book, I strongly suggest that you start with book 1 in the series, Christine Falls. It is not necessary; it can be read as a standalone. I read Christine Falls in 2010 and by the time I read this book, I had forgotten the story entirely. I knew that Quirke was a pathologist working in a hospital, and that he investigated a crime, but that was it. Events and discoveries from the previous book are mentioned often in this book. On the one hand, the author tells you enough about book 1 so that you are familiar with the story; on the other, events in book 1 may be spoiled if you read book 2 first.
14 comments:
I have a vague memory of being aware of this series - probably that first book. Seems like it had a cover that was pretty dark. Think I'd have to be in the mood for this type of read. I'll keep the series in mind though. Thanks for sharing about this book.
I read the first book in the series and stopped there. Maybe I will pick this one up although I hate being confused, which happens too often.
I think it's definitely one of those stories that's best 'sipped slowly,' Tracy. This may be just me, but when I read books like this, I find it easier to keep track of characters and their histories if I read them just a bit at a time. As long as I know that going in, the slow pace doesn't bother me. And I think you're right: Quirke is an interesting character with his own interesting backstory.
Kay, This novel is definitely crime fiction but the mystery plot is less important than other aspects. I am not sure if the first one was that way or not. And the historical aspect of it was done very well.
Patti, even though I was prepared for this to be dark and depressing, I was surprised that the investigation was so much in the background. I don't mean to emphasize the depressing part of it so much, but pretty much everyone is unhappy. Many reviewers call it a noir novel but I think of noir as much darker than this one.
That is a good idea, Margot to read the book more slowly and in smaller bits. It would also have helped if I kept better notes while I was reading. Sometimes I think that pulls me out of the story, though. Quirke's story was my real focus anyway.
The name John Banville rings a bell although I have never read anything by him. With a series it is always best to begin with book one and Quirke sounds like a character that the reader can invest in. Must look into John Banville to see what else he has written.
Kathy, I would love to hear what you think of any of John Banville's books if you find one to try. One book that was suggested to me was The Book of Evidence, which has some elements of a mystery. My husband and I have both read a book called Snow which Banville wrote; it is about a death that takes place in a manor house in Ireland in 1957. But I know nothing about any of his general fiction books.
Slower paced books don't bother me when I'm invested in the characters. And Quirke sounds like an interesting one.
It is the same for me, Lark. Slow pacing is fine when the story and characters keep me involved. The book I am reading now, The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, moves slowly but I am very curious about where it is going and my patience is paying off.
Quirke is a very interesting character. Maybe I liked him this book vs the first one because he is drinking less.
I read this book when it first came out, which I was surprised to see was 2007 (pre-blog days) and couldn't remember much about it. I have very mixed reactions to books by John Banville, under that name or Benjamin Black: I have loved some of them...
I wish I could remember more about this one: the beauty salon angle sounds interesting.
Moira, I have read only three books by Banville/Black, the third one was Snow. So I liked the majority of them but I haven't tried any of his non-mystery books. I want to but where to find the time? I will be looking for more of his books at the annual book sale.
The beauty salon in The Silver Swan was not what I expected.
That's an intriguing remark Tracy, I may have to pick this up again!
Moira, if your memory is as bad as mine (regarding plots of books), The Silver Swan would probably seem entirely new to you after 17 years. I enjoyed reading a slowly paced book that focused more on the characters and kept the mystery in the background. I was especially interested in how true to life the beauty salon was to the time and place, but Banville is Irish, and this is fiction, so it really did not matter to me.
I do want to read more by Banville but the Irish writer I most want to read more by is Brian Moore (which just occurred to me as I was thinking about this).
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