* Books: Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson
Posted by the editors on Saturday, 18 February 2012
Books: Started Early, Took My Dog (2010) by Kate Atkinson (Behind the Scenes at the Museum (1995), Human Croquet (1997)). This crime novel, part thoughtful travelogue, of loves and losses, follows semi-retired private investigator Jackson Brodie as he attempts to trace, through the good, bad old days and the precariously, obliquely good, bad new days, the origins of a client, adopted a young age. More than touching on a diversity of themes: of adoption, of dogs that belonged to women, of shockingly, rashly, bought children, of kidnapped, history-less children, of forcibly orphaned children; of adaptation to ever-changing circumstances, and glimpses of true, and erroneous, self-knowledge; confusion of names; childhood, the good, and, so often, the bad, the thwarted, the difficult and the ugly; parents and children and families in all their stifled hope, errors, lies, and miscommunications; not to mention inspiring, uplifting, dark and hopeful poetry; and of course, crime, with its police, private investigators, cover-ups, murders, power and money. Sounds like a lot? It is. But with Atkinson’s deft, even tender touch, and her sensitive portrayals, Started Early, Took My Dog, is an easy, captivating novel, and a very agreeable, if at times brutal, read. (PR)
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Claire 'Word by Word' said
Quirky title. Have read one of her crime novels and enjoyed it, like her more literary books too. Thanks for the review, will keep an eye out for this title.