Case Histories
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Case Histories continues a winning streak for Kate Atkinson which began when her impressive novel Behind the Scenes at the Museum won the Whitbread First Novel Award. Since that book, Atkinson has gleaned a keen following of readers who are prepared to follow in the surprising directions the unpredictable author takes us on. And Atkinson--so far--hasn’t let us down.
The perfectly judged prose that distinguished Human Croquet is fully in evidence in Case Histories, and a new frisson here comes from the genre-stretching that Atkinson is indulging in. In some ways, this book could almost be seen as a new take on the crime novel (not the first genre one would expect the author to tackle), but the crime elements here Atkinson uses are peripheral. The protagonist here is a former police inspector who now makes a living as a private investigator. Jackson Brodie is making ends meet in a sweaty Cambridge summer and trying to deal with his own failed marriage. But if his life is adrift, perhaps Brodie can justify his existence via his belief that he can do some good for the people he encounters in his job. But he is to find that he will be irrevocably changed by those he is trying to help.
As a vividly created cast of characters surround the beleaguered Brodie, all the novelistic skills that shone in Atkinson's earlier books are fully in play. Those deluded into thinking they've picked up something resembling a standard private eye novel will find something much more rich and strange; Atkinson goes from strength to strength.--Barry Forshaw
Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly
'Not just the best novel I read this year...but the best mystery of the decade.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
87 of 91 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Jackson Brodie, a private detective, is investigating three old cases, which soon begin to converge and overlap. Three-year-old Olivia Land disappeared without a trace thirty-five years ago while sleeping outside with one of her sisters, two of whom have hired Jackson to find out what happened. Theo Wyre has hired him to investigate the death of his daughter Laura Wyre, who was killed by a maniac ten years before while working in her father's office. Shirley Morrison, Jackson's third client, is trying to locate her sister and her niece. Her sister Michelle, living with her husband and young daughter on an isolated farm, has vanished from Shirley's life, and after twenty-five years, Shirley wants to find her.
Atkinson's suspenseful and dramatic cases pique the reader's interest in the characters and their lives, especially the female characters. All have faced traumatic events and suffered through less than ideal childhoods, which unfold inexorably as the cases become more complex. Not a linear narrative, the novel focuses on different characters in successive chapters, moving back and forth in time to provide background and to set up the overlaps which eventually occur. The characters are sometimes bizarre, baffling, and even unsympathetic, but they are always memorable for their behavior and their justifications for it.
Filled with ironies and noir humor, the novel also reveals Atkinson's astute observation of social interactions, as she skewers some aspects of her characters' lives while also creating sympathy for them. While the first two case histories-that of the missing Olivia and the murdered Laura-are genuinely sad and regarded overall as tragedies, the story of Michelle Fletcher, and peripherally, her sister Shirley, is much darker. Neither Michelle nor Shirley elicits much empathy after the opening chapter, but the occasional interjection of their story line stirs up the action, changes the pace, and keeps the novel from being overly melodramatic. Atkinson's eventual revelations about Michelle's life provide Atkinson with some of her best opportunities for social satire and wit.
Readers will delight in Atkinson's characterizations, and the ironies are priceless--the room where Laura was killed has, ten years later, become a day spa named "Bliss," and the place where two other deaths take place becomes an elaborate garden. Atkinson saves the biggest noir twists for last. Though the cases are, in fact, all "solved" by Jackson, they are not really solved. At least five important "loose ends" regarding the perpetrators of these murders and disappearances remain, showing that even murder cases are not as "cut and dried" as one might expect. (4.5 stars) Mary Whipple
42 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I love Kate Atkinson's work and this is no exception.
The novel centres around four 'Case Histories', the threads of which are brought together by Jackson, a detective living in present day Cambridge.
Each of the Case Histories occur at a different point in history; a 3 year old girl goes missing from a back garden in 1970 and is never found, a beloved 18 year old daughter is murdered in 1994, a harassed wife kills her husband in 1979 and the final case concerns some revelatory truths about Jackson's family.
Jackson meanders passively through the novel with relatives involved in each of the cases coming to him for help. He seems somewhat bewildered throughout the novel and he is the only character I didn't really feel that I got to know.
Kate Atkinson's prose is lovely and she has the knack of creating suspense, she moves us around in time almost creating cliffhangers so we are dying to know what happens next. Her characters are all mostly sympathetic and the tragedy in their lives makes you, on occasion, ache for them. You do get the impression that the purpose and drive they employ in trying to gain closure from these events in their histories is often an excuse to not get to grips with the other problems in their lives, be it weight problems, overcoming inhibitions in an uptight personality, or finding love. The threads of the cases are tied up somwhat neatly at the end, leaving a satisfying conclusion.
All in all, it's a great read and I recommend it to everyone!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I agree completely with richteafinger's assessment. This really isn't a great book. I finished it (hence I gave it two stars) because I wanted to see how it all tied up but was pretty disappointed. It felt a bit disjointed and rushed at the end and I never felt that one could identify with the characters or feel sorry for any of them - and given the nature of the story one felt you should be sorry for some of them at least. The writing is clumsy in places too, just silly mistakes that should have been picked up on by anyone editing it. Also some spelling mistakes - and this is me being very picky but it does jar - a Ford Galaxie? Marlborough cigarettes? Just not for me, but each to their own and she is clearly a popular writer with lots of people. Am afraid I won't be bothering with any more of her books though
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
nice prose but too much backstory
Case Histories is a rich and layered book. The various case histories swirl around and entwine with each other through the central figure of Jackson Brodie. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Rob Kitchin
Detective story
I bought this book for myself as I had read other books by the same author and very much enjoyed them, this book did not disappoint really good read.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. J. Small
Great Cambridge atmosphere
I loved this book from beginning to end. It has typical quirky Cambridge inhabitants that I know so well, and it was an interesting plot that kept one guessing right through to... Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. Myers
Destined to be a modern day classic. Kate is such a BRILLIANT writer!!
I resisted the opportunity to watch the BBC adaptation of this as having thoroughly enjoyed some of Kate Atkinson's other works, I really didn't want to spoil the book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hannah Dexter
A real page-turner- gripping and witty
When I first discovered that Kate Atkinson had turned to crime, I wasn't quite sure what to expect... Read more
Published 3 months ago by starzagal
Enjoyable read, exciting
Really enjoyed this book as you really get to know the characters and feel sympathy or dislike towards them which is important for an author to do. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Rachel
The trouble with seeing an adaptation first
means you end up making reverse comparisons.
Kate Atkinson who rose to public notice when her debut novel 'Behind The Scenes At The Museum' won The Whitbread Book Of The... Read more
Kate Atkinson who rose to public notice when her debut novel 'Behind The Scenes At The Museum' won The Whitbread Book Of The... Read more
Published 3 months ago by R. A. Davison
Kate Atkinson: An Author I hope to see more of in the fututre
I have become desperate to acquire new favourite authors. The technique I use now is to check the customer review section from Amazon first. This has proved very helpful. Read more
Published 4 months ago by munchkinsraves
Just okay
My wife's review:
This is the second Atkinson novel I have read, and the first one I really enjoyed so I had high hopes for this one. Read more
This is the second Atkinson novel I have read, and the first one I really enjoyed so I had high hopes for this one. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. S. N. Pattison
very clever
Brilliant, a very clever book where a number of stories are interwoven. As the book progresses the links between the different characters appear. Definitely a good read.
Published 6 months ago by Dr. William P. Edwards
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