Books to the Ceiling

Last night, the Usual Suspects Mystery Discussion Group enjoyed an in-depth and at times raucous discussion of Fire Sale. Our discussion leader Pauline, always a thorough researcher, provided plenty of interesting background on Sara Paretsky and her series protagonist, V.I. Warshawski. For the sake of comparison, Pauline also read P.I. novels by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone), Marcia Muller (Sharon McCone), and Linda Barnes (Carlotta Carlyle), among others. One characteristic shared by all of these novels: they are written in the first person. This lead to interesting discussion as to what effect this choice of narrative style has on a novel. Is it easier to write fiction in the first person – could it almost be construed as an easy “out” for the author? Does it create more intimacy between the reader and the protagonist? Is the necessary limitation of point of view a hindrance or an advantage? (It does mean, after all, that the reader knows only as much as the narrator knows, and no more.)

The verdict on the Fire Sale was decidedly mixed. On the plus side, we appreciated V.I. Warshawski’s zeal in the pursuit of various malefactors. We also liked her defense of society’s most defenseless – or, at least, poorly defended – individuals. But at the same time, we found her tendency to swing into crusading mode somewhat irritating. As you read the book, it does seem at times as though V.I. is the only right-thinking person in a sea of hypocrites and money-grubbing low lives!

We estimated V.I.’s age as being somewhere in the mid forties; consequently, some of us were skeptical as to whether she could take as much physical abuse as she does in this book and get back in the ring, so to speak, so swiftly. Pauline raised the question as to whether Fire Sale was primarily plot- or character-driven. She felt it was both. We agreed with her in the main but nonetheless has reservations concerning both components of the novel. For one thing, the plot became so convoluted that several of us experienced considerable difficulty following it. (Part of the problem was that the book was just too long.) The cast of characters was large and hard to keep track of; moreover, several of them veered perilously near to being stereotypes of one sort of another. This is especially true of members of the rich and powerful Bysen family; they’re veritable archetypes of capitalist oppressors if ever I saw ‘em! Ditto their retainers. And it didn’t help in the sorting out process that three generations of male Bysens were named William, or some variation thereupon! (Yes, I know, “Buffalo Bill,” etc. But still, it was confusing.)

Interestingly, following a robust and somewhat negative exchange of views, when we were asked if we’d read another title by Paretsky, the response was largely affirmative. We acknowledged that she is a highly respected writer with a considerably body of work. If her output is uneven, she’s got plenty of company in that regard Several in the group had read other titles by her, such as Burn Marks, Total Recall, and Tunnel Vision, and enjoyed them. And her latest, a standalone, entitled Bleeding Kansas, is getting rave reviews.

I want to take a minute before I conclude to sing the praises of the Usual Suspects: What a great group they are! Their humanity and compassion, their love of books, their great sense of humor – all are deeply appreciated by me. It is a pleasure to spend time with them.