The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

After reading Eleanor Oliphant, I was reminded of this favorite read by Mark Haddon. If I remember correctly, I read it in two nights and, like Eleanor, this novel is told in the first person by Christopher, a high functioning autistic teen in Britain. (actually its called Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning autism).

The book starts on the night that Christopher finds the neighborhood dog, Wellington, dead on Mrs. Shears front lawn, an event that he is later blamed and questioned about. He determines that he has to find out who murdered Wellington and the life that he thought he knew and was comfortable with swiftly begins to unravel.

Christopher has been protected and raised by his calming father following his mother’s apparent death, but he will now be pushed out of his comfort zone, and onto an seemingly impossible journey. He rides buses, ventures into crowded places, all while unabashedly always telling the truth.

People say that you always have to tell the truth. But they do not mean this because you are not allowed to tell old people that they are old and you are not allowed to tell people if they smell funny or if a grown-up has made a fart. And you are not allowed to say, “I don’t like you,” unless that person has been horrible to you.

You’ll chuckle as Christopher tries to solve the murder of Wellington. His favorite detective is Sherlock Holmes so he knows the difference between a real clue and a red herring. He uses his superior skills of analysis to matter-of-factually investigate the crime, while he vividly describes how he goes about the world and the level of detail that he observes. One of my favorite and most memorial moment is when Christopher explains how seeing five red cars equals a really good day, a little quirk I picked up myself during my long commutes to work.

The book isn’t really a mystery about the death of a dog, it’s more about the amusing and insightful perceptions — as Christopher shows us how he doesn’t understand some things, like facial expressions, but is brilliant at turning everyday problems into mathematical solutions – you see math is his favorite thing, But Mr. Haddon doesn’t just tell us that Christopher is intelligent and scientifically talented, he shows us, by having him elegantly rendering beautiful and well-known ideas of mathematics and physics.

Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them

Christopher uses logic, intellect and most of all, courage to solve two mysteries and find his way in a confusing and sometimes overwhelming world. Yes, I said two mysteries, the other is finding his mother who he was lead to believe had died – but I won’t say any more.

The reader encounters British figures of speech, like “losing one’s rag” (losing one’s temper), or “having a pig of a day,”(a difficult day) or “take-away chips.” (French Fries). Such metaphors confuse Christopher because he sees the world as black and white, facts and lies. His brain works in precise terms, like “I stepped back two meters” or he wore “brown shoes that have approximately 60 tiny circular holes in each of them.

Mr. Haddon brilliantly captures the mindset and ideas of an individual with autism and expresses it in a way readers can relate to. His point of view makes autism real as you see every part of the world through Christopher’s eyes — which is just magic.

What I loved about The Curious Incident is that it also illuminates how very different and yet beautiful human mindsets can be. Whereas some focus on feelings, others enjoy literature, and still others find comfort in numbers and facts, things that are measurable — like Christopher. The novel doesn’t flinch from also revealing the inescapable cage a handicapped child and his parents must endure, finding little help except for whatever resources they can find within themselves and if lucky, in the community.

A Curious Incident is many things – at once simple– and yet deep — it is often hilarious and at the same time a little sad as well. But mostly, it is a magical and fascinating read which I highly recommend.

I want to close this post with a thank you to Angela Lansbury who died yesterday at 96.

Highly acclaimed for her works on stage and film, I have to send out my personal gratitude for the Murder She Wrote series.

Not only did I never miss an episode when it was first airing, I now secretly indulge in late night re-runs all over again.

Without calling attention to herself, during the run of this series, Ms. Lansbury made it a practice to hire guest actors who were older and not working as much. This allowed them to earn the union points they needed to have insurance and pensions.

Fun with the Queen

This will be my last post about her majesty, I promise. I want to share a few books that poke fun at the Queen – one, not so gently. Read on, I’ll explain ~~

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

Quite by accident, the Queen of England stumbles upon the bookmobile that visits Buckingham Palace each week. To be polite, she checks a book out from the traveling library and what follows is a charming story in which HRH develops quite an obsession with books and sends the palace into an uproar.

With her new love of reading, neither she nor eventually England will ever be quite the same in this quietly humorous short novel. The Queen discovers Jean Genet, Nancy Mitford, E. M. Forster, Emily Dickinson, Alice Munro, Proust, Charles Dickens, Dostoevsky. She has difficulty with Jane Austen because that writer is so concerned with social distinctions. Ar first, she is put off by the verbosity of Henry James(something she has in common with any reader I have ever known) and I have to agree with her question:

Am I alone in wanting to give Henry James a good talking to?

The Queen’s newfound love of reading quickly concerns both the royal household and her staff. She’s no longer interested in her duties and has started arriving late to engagements (even Parliament). And like all readers, the Queen often laments about her full days of meetings, wishing instead she could be at home reading. She perfects reading in her coach, keeping the book below the window level so as to maintain the royal wave as she travels.

She eventually comes to question the prescribed order of her world and loses patience with the routines of the monarchy. With her reading, she gains a new widening perspective which soon leads to surprising (and very funny) consequences for the country at large.

The Uncommon Reader pokes gentle fun at the proper behavior and protocol at the palace. Mr. Bennett encapsulates, in a subtle and clever way, the isolation and insularity of a royal’s life. This short novella, imagines that the Queen discovers a way to break out of the bubble with the joy of reading.

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn

A very similar novel, in both tone and style – with a mimic cover.

Mr. Kuhn even refers to the Bennett novel:

“‘Did you read the one about The Queen becoming a reader?’ said the woman in spectacles to the young man at her side.`I did enjoy that one. So funny. And of course, being a reader myself, I liked that side of it.’”

From the back cover:

After decades of service and years of watching her family’s troubles splashed across the tabloids, Britain’s Queen is beginning to feel her age. She needs some proper cheering up. An unexpected opportunity offers her relief: an impromptu visit to a place that holds happy memories—the former royal yacht, Britannia, now moored near Edinburgh. Hidden beneath a skull-emblazoned hoodie, the limber Elizabeth (thank goodness for yoga) walks out of Buckingham Palace into the freedom of a rainy London day and heads for King’s Cross to catch a train to Scotland.

But a characterful cast of royal attendants has discovered her missing. In uneasy alliance a lady-in-waiting, a butler, an equerry, a girl from the stables, a dresser, and a clerk from the shop that supplies Her Majesty’s cheese set out to find her and bring her back before her absence becomes a national scandal.

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train abounds with dry, British humor and witty social commentary.  Mr. Kuhn tackles homelessness, terrorism, race relations, and mental illness.   What I found fascinating was how the author gave the Queen a human side (she does yoga and attempts a computer) but still maintains the respectful dignity due a British monarch. You can read my full review of this delightful little novel HERE

Death at Buckingham Palace by C. C. Benison

I read this years ago, back when I was working 60+ hours a week, and at the end of the day, my mind was mush. In those days, I would turn to light, cozy mysteries to relax me to sleep at night.

Death at Buckingham Palace starts with the Queen literally tripping over a dead body in the palace and an unlikely housemaid Jane Bee works with the Queen to uncover secrets of the highest order. The time period is a few years after the Queen’s “annus horribilis” and before the death of Princess Diana. Lots of humor (footmen streaking naked through the palace), upstairs and downstairs drama, a film crew doing a documentary on life at the palace, and plenty of red herrings for Jane to sort through. A fun look inside the palace (there’s even a map of the layout) and tongue-in-cheek humor.

I’ve kept this little paperback all these years, which means I meant to re-read it – I do remember really enjoying it. There are two more in this “Her Majesty Investigates” series – Death at Sandringham House and Death at Windsor Castle.

C. C. Benison is the nom de plume for the Canadian award-winning author Doug Whiteway…who under the same pseudonym also wrote the father Christmas series, which includes Twelve Drummers Drumming, Eleven Pipers Piping, Ten Lords A-Leaping — well you get the drift. I admit I read at least one of those, as well – back when I devoured cozy mysteries to unwind.

The Queen and I by Sue Townsend

Remember at the beginning of this rather long post, I hinted one of these books was not so gentle when having fun with the Queen? Well, actually The Queen and I is actually not directly critical of the Queen but of the royal institution itself. It does however, embark on making fun of the Queen trying to become a regular Brit.

What if anti-monarchists win the UK election and their first action is to transfer the royal family into low-income housing and told they must live like ordinary Britons? How would they cope and adapt?

This very scenario is explored in this very funny, very British tale by Ms. Townsend. The family is ‘relocated’ to Hellebore Close the missing letters in the street sign leave “Hell Close”), a council estate somewhere up the M1. Elizabeth is assigned a social worker, Phillip gets clinical depression, Charles grows a ponytail and ends up in prison, and Anne starts see a carpet installer named Spiggy.

When it was originally published in 1992 this satire was considered an edgy and irreverent exploration of the role of the monarchy, and it does, indeed, highlight the question of the relevancy and value of the ancient British institution.

I think I’ll re-read The Queen and I, as I remember it was amusingly bittersweet, as well as thought-provoking and insightful. Here’s some of the things I underlined from my first reading:

Upon her first, nervous journey on a bus, the driver quips to the Queen “aw c’mon lassie, let yourself go. You’ve got a face on you like a wet Sunday in Aberdeen.”

Then there is this exchange as they settle into the housing estate:

“Mr Barker, there is no mention of dogs here,” said the Queen.
“One per family,” said Jack.
“Horses?” asked Charles.
“Would you keep a horse in a council house garden?”
“No. Quite. One wasn’t thinking.”
“Clothes aren’t on the list,” said Diana, shyly.
“You won’t be needing much. Just the bare essentials. You won’t be making personal appearances, will you?”
Princess Anne rose and stood next to her father. “Thank God for that! At least something good has come out of this bloody shambles — Are you all right, Pa?”

So, there you go, some fun, light Queen-based humor.

I firmly believe she would approve.

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

Thanks to my trusty and wonderful digital library system, I snagged a Kindle copy of this book which had me intrigued, after reading the reviews.

The Appeal is a real page turner (to coin a well-worn phrase) — but it shouldn’t be. It’s not a fast-paced thriller. There’s no lurking killer, no police work, no espionage, no smart-mouthed detective — none of that.

Instead, the story unfolds through reading of a substantial pile of emails, text messages and press clippings relating to an amateur theater group in England. This correspondence is all part of an evidence bundle for an appeal against a murder conviction that a pair of junior lawyers are reviewing for the head of their law firm — however, as we read along with the lawyers – we are unclear as to the supposed victim — let alone, who is in prison for the murder.

Yes, that’s right, the reader has to try and piece together what’s happened from email, text, and phone messages.

It soon becomes clear that the wealthy Hayward family, who own a local hotel and health club, are the center of the local social circle and are the driving force behind the Fairway Players theater group. Martin Hayward runs the group of amateur actors and, along with his son James, directs the shows, while his wife Helen and daughter Paige are the perennial leading ladies –leaving everyone else vying for the best supporting roles, both on and off stage.

When Martin and Helen’s two-year-old grandchild, Poppy, is diagnosed with cancer their only hope is to try and raise $350,000 through a crowdfunding campaign, so that they can import an experimental drug from the U.S. for the first round of treatment.

Meanwhile, one of the Fairway Players, the often overlooked Issy Beck has introduced two new members to the group. Issy is a nurse on a geriatric ward and is delighted when her new colleague Sam Greenwood and her husband Kel agree to audition for the group. Sam and Kel have just returned from volunteering in Africa with Medecins Sans Frontieres — but why did they leave? And what’s their connection with Poppy’s doctor?

But, not everyone is convinced that the appeals for the funds, and the drug, are legitimate. Suspicions mount, accusations are made, and the tension leads to a dead body, and an arrest on the night of the play’s dress rehearsal .

Ms. Hallett has pulled off some extremely clever and accomplished writing. Although we only have the characters’ own words to go by, we soon develop a clear picture of each of player, as well as the group dynamics. Issy’s creepy, over-enthusiastic, and childlike emails have a clingy, obsessive note to them. Sarah-Jane McDonald’s bossy, capable emails in her role of campaign coordinator for A Cure for Poppy are spot-on – sometimes persuasive, sometimes hectoring. Martin Hayward is confidently authoritative while his son, James, takes a softer and more theatrical tone.

Each email reveals a bit more about the characters, their flaws, secrets and fears. Some of the correspondence appear to be pure gossip, while others seem enigmatic or irrelevant. Some provide key information if one reads them carefully. And – importantly – what isn’t said is often the most revealing.

Every character is acutely well-observed, as are the social interactions between them, the constant petty battle for status within the group and how quickly the rumors and speculation spread from one to another keeps the reader chuckling – albeit uncomfortably.

I must admit I found it tough to keep track of some of the minor characters – there is a two page list of characters in the beginning which helps, but it didn’t slow me down, as most of the plot revolves around the main players in the group.

What did slow me down was the last third of the book, wherein the two junior lawyers write up their conclusions – I got a bit bogged down in those very long and wordy (lawyers!) suppositions on what really happened.

The Appeal won’t appeal (sorry!) to every reader. If you sit in front of a computer all day, answering emails for a living, doing so when trying to read a book, just may not work for you.

However for me, this mystery worked on several levels — it’s a satire on a very English type of social group, there’s also an intriguing puzzle to be solved, and it is frequently very funny.

Hats off to the author for pulling off a clever, complex and unique mystery – unlike anything I have ever read before.

State of Terror

I’m a big fan of Louise Penny’s Gamache series – just do a search of her name here and you’ll see my fandom.

Last year, I heard she was teaming up with none other than Hillary Rodham Clinton to write a political thriller. I had some mixed thoughts, but got myself on the library waiting list – and waited – and waited.

Finally my turn came up and although I’m not a big fan of political thrillers (I find real world politics scary enough), I started reading.

Ellen Adams, is Secretary of State in President Doug Williams’ newly formed Democrat administration, which has picked up the reins from the previous incumbent who seems to have been brash, reckless and not intellectually overburdened. Well, so far, very plausible and familiar. Here is Ellen Adams as Hillary herself, the former President is clearly patterned after our former president, and even the British Prime Minister with his permanently disheveled hair is obviously Boris Johnson.

State of Terror sets a fast moving pace revolving around the efforts to prevent a terrorist attack in America, after three bombs were detonated in London, Paris and Frankfurt. There are unrelenting plot twists where those who are trusted reveal themselves as evil, and those thought of as enemies, serve as allies.

There’s a great deal happening all the time in this novel and each short chapter brings up another gut-wrenching crisis – which eerily mirrors and predicts what is actually happening in our current crazy world. The authors are not afraid to criticize both sides of the political aisle, with repeated warnings about the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan leading to the return of Al Qaeda.

State of Terror was at times terrifying and, at others, charming and funny. I did enjoy Hillary Clinton’s insight on the inner White House scene and her understanding of the politics at that level adds impressive credibility to every page. It’s not a spoiler to reveal that the character, Betsy, is based on Hillary’s lifelong friend who also became a close friend of Louise’s. (Betsy seems like the kind of friend we would all be lucky to have.) And for you Louise Penny fans, the authors have a few scenes set in Three Pines and Gamache actually makes a small appearance.

Together, Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny have given us a frightening story of our times, including some chilling possibilities that came true and still could come true. I tried to lose myself in this thriller, but in the end I found it too real — too disturbingly close to the truth. Admiration is what I felt for these two women who could write something a year ago that is so true to life as if ripped from our current 2022 nightly news.

However, I must tell you that, for me, the ending was a huge cheat — and left me shaking my head in disbelief. It’s called a deus ex machina — a plot device where a seemingly unsolvable conflict or impossible problem is solved by the sudden appearance of an unexpected person, object, or event.

That’s all I say. Read State of Terror for yourself and tell me what you thought.

Missing by Karin Alvtegen

I love to go explore the little free libraries in various neighborhoods in the city. This one was one of my latest explorations.

I seldom take home a book, and sometimes leave a paperback or two. But you know me, the inevitable happened and, yes, I found a book that intrigued me so much, it came home with me.

Missing is the U.S. debut of Karin Alvtegen, Sweden’s queen of crime writing and the winner of the Edgar award for best novel of the year. Later when I opened it, I found myself immediately immersed.

The opening scene gripped me and, as cliche as it might sound, the first chapter left me wanting more.

Born into a life of privilege, Sybilla has chosen to live her life homeless in Stockholm. With her thrift shop suit and heels, she often sits at a hotel bar and charms a visiting businessman into paying for her dinner and hotel room. One night she chooses the wrong man and when he’s found dead the next morning she is forced to flee. Now she must hide among the homeless of Stockholm, taking each day as it comes, with just a backpack for her possessions, and constantly on the move.

Of course Sybilla is the prime suspect and her situation only gets worse when more victims are found murdered in a similar manner. Ms. Alvtegen skillfully develops the character of Sybilla by interspersing scenes from her childhood alongside her current life on the run.

Scandinavian mysteries have become popular here in the US, since the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I’m not a fan of the stark writing and bleak atmosphere. But Missing spun fast-paced plot, so I keep turning the pages. And I found the somewhat different perspective intriguing, with the story told by Sybilla the hunted suspect and an innocent one at that.

I found myself invested in the Sybilla’s survival on the street and hiding from the police. With dramatic twists and turns, I was unable to figure out the real killer, and why Sybilla left her privileged life, until the last 6 pages.

Ms. Alvtegen also adds in the background of Sybillas long-lost child. Trust me, all three story lines eventually intertwine into completion. Moreover, the motive for the murders was an interesting surprise and the resolution of the mystery made sense and was satisfying.

Missing was an absorbing and suspenseful story which I found somewhat reminiscent of Ruth Rendell’s writing. It was an interesting insight into Swedish society. A mystery, yes, but it’s also a commentary on those who are forced to live on the streets by unforeseen circumstances or by choice.

I have placed Missing back into another free little library, so someone else will get to enjoy this culturally different page-turner that kept me reading until the last page.

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

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I purchased The Madness of Crowds as soon as it was released — supporting my local bookstore.

My–my, just look at those gorgeous end pages!

My reading of Louise Penny’s latest installment was accompanied with my Three Pines cup, a gift from my sister after a trip to Quebec and Brome Lake Books in Knowlton. Also a devoted Louise Penny fan, she and her husband explored the area that inspired the fictional Three Pines setting. Here’s the MAP they used from the bookstore’s website.

You Louise Penny fans already know what ” I’m F.I.N.E ” stands for, but if not; we must consult the foul mouthed, cranky poet, and one of Three Pines most colorful characters.

“I’m FINE” according to Ruth Zardo is:

• F: F#*&ed Up
• I: Insecure
• N: Neurotic
• E: Egotistical

But, as usual I digress — on to the book.

The good news is that we’re back in Three Pines with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Clara, Myrna, Gabri, Olivier, Ruth Zardo, and her muttering duck are all present and accounted for. It’s Three Pines in the winter with mugs of hot chocolate, ice skating, bonfires, and the very cold weather.

They stepped outside, and though they were braced for it, the bitter cold still stole their breaths.  It scraped the flesh of their faces and made their eyes water.

The Madness of Crowds very admirably utilizes the pandemic and its aftermath as the timely plot line for this mystery. But, I overcame my initial dismay at the topic (haven’t we all had enough of this pandemic and why couldn’t Three Pines have been spared?) and started reading. Ms. Penny soon addressed our shared pandemic fatigue…

Though the pandemic was now over, it had left behind a population worn down.  People were tired of being self-disciplined, of self-isolating.  Of social distancing and wearing masks.  They were exhausted, shell-chocked, from months and endless months of worrying about their children, their parents, their grandparents.  Themselves.

After 70 pages, things came together and I started to understand that the ‘madness of crowds’ referred to the overall theme of this book — the blind devotion to misinformation which leads to unprincipled and often evil ideas.

The bad news is that this post-pandemic Three Pines world is full of harsh truths; eugenics, crowd behavior, rape and torture of women, experimental treatment of the mentally ill, failed public health policies, dementia, and most upsetting — threats to disabled children. So, be warned, The Madness of Crowds is not the escape we’ve come to depend on in Ms. Penny’s books. But, importantly, it also presents thought-provoking questions about ethics and human relationships in a post-COVID world.

Hey there, don’t worry Ms. Penny still writes with her usual empathy, insights, sensitivity, and her trademark delightful humor…

Stephen was up by then and dressed as always in a crisp shirt, sweater, and gray flannels.  Ready for a board meeting, should one arise.

“She’s right”, said Myrna, turning astonished eyes on the mad poet [Ruth] at the other end of the sofa.  “She was bound to be right eventually,” said Clara.  “Law of averages.”

I struggled a bit with the last part of the book and its parade of red herrings. Without giving anything away, there is also a final scene, where Armand Gamache lets a gun lie in a room with suspects — waiting for it to be used. This is an antithesis to everything we know about his character.

Don’t get me wrong, The Madness of Crowds still delivers a well-written and complex mystery with the wonderful characters, and great food of Three Pines. But it also slaps the reader right across the face with humanity’s darker side.

We are seeing an evolution in Ms. Penny’s writing. She started out writing charming and cheerful Quebec mysteries set in the camelot-like setting of Three Pines. I can’t fault Ms. Penny for reflecting the news of our current times and for moving her craft into new vistas.

It’s just that I miss her old style and earlier books. I wish we had a real Gamache, whose musings on horrible behaviors could help us to understand why some chose such dreadful paths — and to help us feel less afraid.

And say “all will be well”.

Now I’m off to my annual holiday readathon, chosen from my as-yet-unread collection.

The last image is a favorite Christmas card I received — with lots of glitter and cheer.

Warning: If you love someone who is disabled, or if you lost someone you love to Covid, this book may be triggering.