The Brutal Telling, by Louise Penny
This strange book had me going all the way to the finish line. Three Pines is an artistic community in rural Quebec. Surrounded by thousands of square miles of forest it is cut off from 9-5 civilisation and has become an idyll for a rag bag troupe of escapees from the grind of city life. But like all closed communities in crime fiction, Three Pines has its fair share of long-buried guilty secrets. Now if only there were an investigation into a brutal murder to dredge them up…
This is a story of how the apparent peace of the far countryside is a veneer covering strangeness and danger. It’s not a new concept that the countryside is secretly weird but it is a pervasive and persistent motif. Here it is given extra power by being a village occupied not by generations of the same communities but by newcomers. Instead of farmers and blacksmiths, Three Pines has antique sellers, b&b owners and bistro-teurs. It is a sort of far-flung Cotswolds of Canada. This has TV series potential, or have we been there before?
Even if we have, no matter, The Brutal Telling is an atmospheric story of jealousy, small-time greed, revenge and above all the power of a guilty conscience (don’t like the cover though).
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3 Comments on The Brutal Telling, by Louise Penny
I like the cover -thought it’s a bit misleading I think – I didn’t see the shack quite like that.
Will definitely read another
More from a graphic design pov than the shot of the cabin itself. It looks like a lurid airport thriller to me and clearly it’s a much more atmospheric and even genteel book than that. Cue disappointed casual purchasers from each end of the spectrum. That said, I would read another as well I think.
Loved this book – my first Gamache and definitely not the last – deft characterisation and great storyline – ending a bit contrived and too neat but a lot to like. Btw, the cover image of the US edition gets to the heart of it , I think. You’ll find it on L. Penny’s website – http://www.louisepenny.com
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