A blog of books I've been reading, and what I've thought of them. I KNOW I don't read enough etc. Don't make me feel any more guilty about it than I already do.

Monday, July 03, 2006

A. McCall Smith - "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency"

A book that has been hailed as a "smash hit" and already spawned a whole series of novels is always a bit off-putting. Because, if you're anything like me, your first instinct is to want to find fault with it, to point out that the Emperor isn't wearing any clothes. I'd seen the Alexander McCall Smith series in WH Smith's for well over a year, admired the cover art (don't ask me why but cover art is very important to me), helped other people find them in the store and even bought one for a friend's birthday. Even after all that, it took me many months to actually get round to buying one for myself, and then, of course, it lay on my bookshelves for a good three months - untouched. When I actually got around to reading the first chapter, all my worst fears were confirmed. The setting, the pared-down writing style, the "ethnic" angle, the slightly folksy tone - it all seemed horribly familiar, with so many similarities to all that South American literature I read in the 80s. Precious Ramotswe setting up her own detective agency (how quaint!) with the proceeds from the sale of her father's cattle (ditto), the bush tea, her first case - a pleasant enough piece of whimsy and competently executed but really nothing special. And then I read the second chapter, which turns out to be her father's story. And that's when it pulled me in. Because McCall Smith suddenly switches away from the quirky and twee to a grittier voice that isn't afraid to tackle the issues of the country's colonial past and the hardship that accompanied it. And this bittersweetness continues throughout the book, surfacing in Precious's failed marriage, the death of her child, her slightly bitter views on men in general. The light hand which the author mixes the different styles is probably what impressed me the most, because at no time does he sink into proselytism. I also liked his ability to keep things simple - the cases that Precious investigates aren't particularly complex - it's her common sense that solves most of the "mysteries". But there's an overall upbeat tone that is infectious and the reader can't help but smile when Precious accepts garage owner J. L. B. Matekoni's proposal of marriage at the end.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home