BelEdit Book Reviews
In my book, Tana French is far and away the best crime fiction author writing today. Set in the fictional town of Ardnakelty in the west of Ireland, The Keeper – the final book in the trilogy about ex-Chicago, ex-detective Cal Hooper – is among the very best of her excellent novels.
I don’t read French’s novels as crime fiction: strictly speaking they fit in the crime mystery genre, but really they are about family and communities, and about a changing Ireland, with one foot in its rural past and the other in the modern world. The Keeper, even more than the other two novels in the series, is about the community of Ardnakelty. It’s about insiders and outsiders and the fragile social balance where any individual, through their words or actions, can be pulled in or pushed out of the fold. It’s about how ‘belonging’ is not static but an ebb and flow. It’s about family; both the pull (or drag) of family history and the creation of new family patterns. And it’s about how Ireland today is rushing to meet the future while ripping the fabric of traditional rural life.
Once again, as in the other two books in the series, while Cal is the protagonist of this novel, the true nucleus of the story is Trey Reddy. She is a luminous character, pulsating with a quiet energy. Cal and Lena hover over her protectively. Trey’s character was forged by her traumatic past, and although she is much tamed by now, they still treat her carefully, as though she were a skittish colt ready to bolt at any moment. Their unspoken love for her, and indeed hers for them, is beautifully and delicately drawn.
The narrative revolves around the death of Rachel Holohan and the question of whether her death was suicide or murder. As the mystery is untangled, the events, motives and consequences are skillfully revealed in a wonderfully structured, delicately paced novel. This is excellent crime writing, on top of being top-tier contemporary fiction.
One area where French excels is in dialogue. I love how she captures the dry humour of the country farmers. She also captures through snippets of dialogue how Ireland is changing. For example:
“In this country we’re fierce proud of how modern we are; we’d bulldoze every bitta history in the place for data centers, if it’d get us a pat on the head off the big corporations. But some of the old ways don’t bulldoze easily.’
Absolutely a 5-star read, 100% recommended.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC – I was thrilled to receive and read it. My reviews are always 100% unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.
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