Reviewed by: Ananth
John
Connolly is an exemplary writer and I am a fan boy. Period. There is no one who
writes with a blend of the supernatural intertwined into regular sleuthing
crime fiction and what ends up as the sum of all the parts is a tour de force -
an utterly intriguing and outlandish tale that is at once believable and
strangely charming. Charming, some might say, is far from the right adjective
to use for the eeriness that inhabits John's world but rest assured there is
something irresistible about the Bird that always leaves you wanting more - for
me, that in itself is more than enough credentials to establish something as
charming.
Lovers
is the seventh in the Charlie Parker series where Charlie 'Bird' Parker, for a
change, is servicing himself rather than one of his clients. Following Unquiet
which left Charlie being stripped of his PI license, the Lovers see Charlie
delve deep to unravel the mysterious circumstances under which his father
killed two teenagers before taking his own life. Sparked by the Collector's
(one of my favourite staple feature of this series) comments, Charlie digs deep
to make sense of these events that have haunted him his entire life. Amidst
this personal turmoil a series of murders are waiting to be linked to his
investigations and it is not before long that all events blend into one
promising a chilling finale.
The
underlying bleakness that seems to pervade Charlie's life is more than present
here with Charlie confronting the horrific truths of his parentage. As the
pieces fall together and facts fall into place it is almost as if Charlie is
the only kind of person who can deal with the kind of curve balls that life has
to throw. He seems to have this phenomenal appetite for catastrophes and destructiveness
which he seems to handle in an All-In-A-Days-Work style. With an array of
characters each in their own way furthering Charlie's quest, the Lovers is a
book that is a sad yet poignant and fulfilling read. (Not to mention the fact
that it might make you go double check that the doors have indeed been locked!)
What
has always pleased me and still does is the way John's characters play on your
mind - they are so well etched and fit so snugly into the plot, it is almost
unbelievable. You are left journeying with Charlie and it is a horrific journey
indeed yet there seems to be the driving hand of destiny that seems to propel
him further. John's research is top notch and this complements the super
natural theme very well making for a very credible account (the Costa Rican
parasitoid wasp whose host is the spider Plesiometa argyra forms an actual
basis for introducing the bizarre). Charlie seems to inhabit a parallel world
where anything is possible and he is forced to confront the strangest of
adversaries - in this world the dead still manage to make their presence felt
and shadows that lurk have their own agendas.
While
people starting out with John would do well to get to read the series in order,
Lovers is still a stand alone piece of work though the prime movers that impel
Charlie are buried in his past. Though open to interpretation, the para normal
aspects of John's work take stronger root here - I would think that as
excellent timing given that we have had six novels where this world was being
dabbled with. Though disquieting and full of despair, John always manages to
triumphantly weave hope and beauty into the otherwise starkly dark world of
Charlie - that is what keeps me coming back for more since I just cannot
resist knowing what is new with Charlie and his world.
(Ananth is a software engineer from Chennai who loves reading but loves even more the dissecting that follows the read.)
