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Roman Clodia's Reviews > The Searcher
The Searcher
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Wait, wait, just 2 stars for *Tana French*? One of my all-time favourite authors who has never got below 4 stars from picky me? Well, I'm sorry fellow French fans but this one just left me flummoxed...
Writing, unusually, in the 3rd person, this has an unconvincing central character in Cal who is a retired Chicago police detective who is a bit burned out, disillusioned (his partner shot an unarmed Black boy in a timely incident), and still mourning his broken-down marriage who chooses to buy a shack in the middle of nowhere in Ireland, a shack without even running water which he's planning to do up.
Now, given the insular nature of the small agricultural community, the fact that young people leave as there's nothing to do unless they inherit the family farm, we'd expect this American stranger to struggle with the locals but no: he's welcomed in the little community, the local shopkeeper is match-making within seconds and, once Cal gets his teeth into the disappearance of a young man, people are happy to talk to him and uncover their secrets. None of this rang true to me at all. And it's s-l-o-o-o-w. Now, I was one of the people who *loved* The Wych Elm so I don't mind slow if it's slow and purposeful - but this gives us page after page of sanding down drawer runners and teaching a young boy how to shoot rabbits and details of what Cal is eating and what cookies (do Irish people use 'cookies' for biscuits?') his neighbour likes...
The thing about French that I love is that she gives us a gripping mystery but also uses the form to explore wider themes: trauma, identity, love appear again and again, treated with originality and integrity and a humane empathy. I couldn't find anything much beneath the surface story of this book. Maybe I was missing something?
So it's with a heavy heart that I'm rating this as just 2 stars: I found it ponderous and unconvincing and found myself skimming restlessly as Cal starts working on his drawer runner again...
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
Writing, unusually, in the 3rd person, this has an unconvincing central character in Cal who is a retired Chicago police detective who is a bit burned out, disillusioned (his partner shot an unarmed Black boy in a timely incident), and still mourning his broken-down marriage who chooses to buy a shack in the middle of nowhere in Ireland, a shack without even running water which he's planning to do up.
Now, given the insular nature of the small agricultural community, the fact that young people leave as there's nothing to do unless they inherit the family farm, we'd expect this American stranger to struggle with the locals but no: he's welcomed in the little community, the local shopkeeper is match-making within seconds and, once Cal gets his teeth into the disappearance of a young man, people are happy to talk to him and uncover their secrets. None of this rang true to me at all. And it's s-l-o-o-o-w. Now, I was one of the people who *loved* The Wych Elm so I don't mind slow if it's slow and purposeful - but this gives us page after page of sanding down drawer runners and teaching a young boy how to shoot rabbits and details of what Cal is eating and what cookies (do Irish people use 'cookies' for biscuits?') his neighbour likes...
The thing about French that I love is that she gives us a gripping mystery but also uses the form to explore wider themes: trauma, identity, love appear again and again, treated with originality and integrity and a humane empathy. I couldn't find anything much beneath the surface story of this book. Maybe I was missing something?
So it's with a heavy heart that I'm rating this as just 2 stars: I found it ponderous and unconvincing and found myself skimming restlessly as Cal starts working on his drawer runner again...
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
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Reading Progress
August 16, 2020
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Started Reading
August 16, 2020
– Shelved
August 17, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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SueLucie
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rated it 3 stars
Aug 17, 2020 04:07AM
Aaargh, about to start this one today. I also liked The Wych Elm very much (my first Tana French) so was hoping for a treat here. I'll report back.
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Oh, I'm so sad to hear this. I recently caught up with Wych Elm and Trespasser (both 4 star reads for me) and was eager for this one, though I admit the "chicago cop" part makes me slightly uneasy.
(gasp) That’s shocking and disappointing. 🙁 I knew at some point she might run out of steam. But darn it. I’ve so enjoyed her other books.
Almost all the other reviews are overwhelmingly positive and a friend is loving it so it may well be a mismatch between me and this book...
I already had my problems with "The Witch Elm", so am not in the least surprised.
Ah, but I loved The Witch Elm - so on that pattern you should like this one ;)
I finished it today and I really liked it. It probably doesn't have quite the depth of The Wych Elm, but I thought it had plenty to say about masculinity, Cal's bemusement that what he had offered his wife and daughter wasn't enough, the workings of a small rural community and so on.Perhaps it's because my dad taught me to work with wood, but I was fine with the steady, careful pace of the description of steady careful work and I liked the evocation of the relationship between Cal and Trey. And the people of the village didn't really open up to him, surely? Again, I found that sense of the ground constantly shifting under Cal's feet very well done.
Hey-ho. I suppose we have to disagree about books sometimes. 😊 xx
Oh I'm struggling to review this one I just finished. I was hoping for a WOW ending which would save this one but, sadly, no it was a predictable situation. I don't know what to rate this one. I' m o.k. with a slow burn but this was unrewarding in the end :( thanks for the honest review!
Have not read yet but intend to soon as it is released. Having been to Ireland your comment about not believing the locals accepted him so quickly doesn't fit with what I know about the Irish. They are the friendliest people I have ever experienced in travels. They go out of their way for strangers, so I would believe the locals would accept him in their fold. Looking forward to reading, at which time I will submit a review.
The problem is that the book wants to represent the village as insular and full of secrets that they keep from the 'new man in town', but at the same time shows him as welcomed - it's the internal contradiction I had the issue with, not the portrayal of real Irish people.
I finished this today - the audiobook version - and I really disliked it too. Your complaints match mine exactly. I found all the characters to be completely stereotypical and shallow. And the plot was not believable, nor was his reaction to the reveal. I had to put it onto 1.5 speed to get through it, I’m just sorry I didn’t do it sooner. Sadly this was my first French novel. I came to it because I loved the Dublin Murders tv series. Quite the disappointment.
Tara wrote: "Sadly this was my first French novel. I came to it because I loved the Dublin Murders tv series. Quite the disappointment."I love everything else that French has done so this really isn't representative of her books - it might be worth another try?
This is the 76 book I have read this year. One word says it all: Boring. Next to nothing happens. Let me see a young girl recruits an ex Chicago cop to search for her missing brother. In the process he gets badly beaten up, discovers who killed the missing brother, finds the body, recovers his watch and gives it to the sister. He then goes home to paint his cabin and secured a puppy for the girl-for what, to replace her murdered brother? That’s it. Oh, maybe we won’t to go the bar and drink with the killers. Is there no reckoning? Wow, a waste of time. Negative stars
I enjoyed the Witch Elm; this one disappointed me so much I kept checking the endflap photo to make sure it was really hers! Lots of pretty scenery. Totally inauthentic main character. And most of the book occurs in exposition. Yawn.
You hit the nail on the head with my biggest gripe about this book. I don't mind the slow-pace, I love the atmosphere she creates and ability to leave you unsatisfied and haunted at the end of her novels. But not for a second do I believe that a large, burly American would insert himself into a small town and get the locals to talk to him the way they did. Especially the conversation with Caroline. It took me way out of the story and I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it.
I'm so sad that I must agree with your review. The writing is beautiful but it was S L O W.....if they sanded that old desk one more time I was going to strike a match....lol
So happy to see this review. I kept wondering what I was missing. I didn't believe it at all. Cal was so dumb. I could go on and on since it annoyed me to no end. But your review, Roman, sums it up perfectly!
I just finished this book and this review describes exactly how I felt. Very slow and somehow unconvincing story
This was my first Tana French. Like many others I was not too impressed, but I would find it kind of sad to just let her as an author entirely slide. Do you happen to have any recommendations on better books by her? :)
