First Paragraph:
A woman is missing in East Riding. She vanished from Hedon, near where we grew up. When Rachel learns of the disappearance, she will think it's him.
My Thoughts:
Under the Harrow is a debut crime novel by Flynn Berry. It won the Edgar Award recently for 'Best First Novel by an American Author'. I liked it, though I will say that I was tempted early on to abandon it. The thought processes of Nora, the protagonist, are scattered and a bit frustrating in the early stages. Hard to follow and kind of annoying. Nora arrives at her sister Rachel's home late on a Friday afternoon. Excited about their weekend together, she is horrified to find Rachel has been brutally murdered. Everything in Nora's life comes to a standstill and she remains in the area, unable to return to her job and flat in London. Rachel had been assaulted as a teenager and the person was never caught. Nora and Rachel had spent a lot of time trying to find the perpetrator when it seemed the police were unable or unwilling to do so. Because of this, Nora is suspicious of the current investigation and asks a lot of questions on her own. She has strange ideas and does peculiar things. I can see why this book won the Edgar - the story is told in an unusual way. And, yes, I'll be watching for Flynn Berry's next book.
Blurb:
When Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister in the countryside, she expects to find her waiting at the station, or at home cooking dinner. But when she walks into Rachel’s familiar house, what she finds is entirely different: her sister has been the victim of a brutal murder.
Stunned and adrift, Nora finds she can’t return to her former life. An unsolved assault in the past has shaken her faith in the police, and she can’t trust them to find her sister’s killer. Haunted by the murder and the secrets that surround it, Nora is under the harrow: distressed and in danger. As Nora’s fear turns to obsession, she becomes as unrecognizable as the sister her investigation uncovers.
I requested this from library and then never read it. Going to get it one more time. Have a nice summer Kay. I feel so much freer not blogging but, still reading.
ReplyDeleteGood to know your summer is going well, Diane!
DeleteI read this one and enjoyed! She did tell her story in a rather unusual way, which I had to get used to, but in the end I would recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I could see why it would appeal to award committees and why it got a nomination for an Edgar. It was a bit different. Once I adjusted to being annoyed with Nora, I did better with it. LOL
DeleteI like the premise! I missed seeing this one on NG, and it is no longer available. :( Need to check the library, although I don't have much hope.
ReplyDeleteI've had a couple of books lately that I almost abandoned because they were either confusing or dull for a chapter or two. I'm glad I stuck with them, they were worth it, but it is always a good idea to begin well.
Yes, this one took a little getting used to. Nora was tough to like. I mainly read it because it was an award-winning book, the theme for our mystery group's June meeting.
DeleteI read somewhere that Stephen King thought this to be an amazing story so I immediately added it to my list. I got the impression that it was quite a page-turner. Is it?
ReplyDeleteIt got to be a page-turner, but the first part was a bit frustrating. Was well written though.
DeleteThis sounds like something I'd want to try! I hope you are enjoying your summer so far, Kay.
ReplyDeleteI am - thanks, Wendy!
DeleteOne of my former co-workers raved about this, so I'm eager to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteIt was a short book - though Nora was a bit annoying. I could see why it was nominated for an award.
DeleteDespite the main character, I'm interested in this one! Glad it ended being a good read.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good story, Iliana.
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts, Kay. I'm quite intrigued with this book and I'm sure I'd have set the book aside early on if I haven't read about your review. Some books have a slow/uninteresting beginning but that change as the story progresses and I'm glad to note this book is worth reading. :)
ReplyDeleteI was just a bit frustrated with Nora. However, the story definitely got interesting.
DeleteYeah, I didn't love this one. It was slow and weird. Compelling, though, at least by the end. I did find myself wanting to know whodunit.
ReplyDeleteWeird is a good word. As I said, I could see why it was nominated for an award and won. Seems like most have to have a little extra something. The problem is that I'm not always a fan of the 'something'. Ha!
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